Everyone Dies
by Knight of Wings
Summary: Everyone dies. You can either live in the forest safe and sound till the end of time, at which point of time you will die. Or you can go and travel with Link and grow up. LinkxSaria
1. Returning

Everyone Dies

Chapter 1

**Alright, to start off, I will be making a lot of changes in the story. First off, this is a LinkxSaria, fic, but they both grow up. The first thing that you will want to know is that Navi won't be Link's guardian fairy; instead, it will be an OC of mine, but worry not all you Navi fans she does have a role, but it won't be important for awhile. Also, every character except Link and Saria are at least two years older; I will let you know if there is a deviation from this. The story starts with the Deku Tree trying to get Navi to accept Link as her charge. **

**Note I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any other game or movie references that might appear, I do own the oc's and the plot. This is my story.**

**Important Note: This chapter has been revised, in an effort to bring it up to speed with my other chapters, I just feel that this chapter could be done better.**

-Great Deku's Grove-

"Navi, I feel that it is time for the young child Link to finally receive a guardian fairy." Exclaimed a tall oak tree that had stood watch over the forest since time had begun.

"But every fairy chooses their child," Navi protested. "You can't _force_ me to accept this child!" The blue fairy declared with panic in her voice.

"Ah, be that as it may, he needs a fairy. If not, he will be lost to us forever, taken by the magic that surrounds and protects this forest." The ancient tree declared sagely.

"To tell the truth, I am surprised that he has not yet become a monster," Navi admitted. "But I will not bind my life to a Hylian! Death is all that waits for any fairy that takes on that boy!" Navi spat with venom.

"It is rare for someone to have lasted so long in the forest, but that merely shows that he does not deserve the curse that waits for him. And he will be spared of it if you bond your life to his. Now tell me, will you or will you not accept this task?" Questioned the Great Deku Tree.

"I will not bind my life to the boy, but, if need be, I will accompany him on this journey that you have in mind. But only if there is no other fairy that wants to accept him." Navi grumbled. "Although I really don't think that any fairy would want to deal with that lazy boy for the rest of their life. He is too curious for his own good, going off into the lost woods almost daily. He causes trouble every chance he gets. Much like my irritating little broth- Wait, I got it! Let's get him to accept the boy." Navi happily shouted.

"Are you sure? I mean, Altair has been looking for a charge for over a hundred years and he still has not found anyone acceptable. Everyone that he meets, he complains about their lack of spirit, always talking about how they are too tame, lacking focus, and have not enough courage. Besides, he hasn't even been seen for eleven years. How will you find him in time? If Link does not get a guardian fairy by his twelfth year, then he will become a monster. Typically, his race becomes Stalfos or Stachilds, but I believe that he might change into a Wolfos."

"I know, but I am sure that I can find him. And once I do, I'll have him check out Link, who he will surely accept, and I won't be burdened by that child." Navi said in near relief. "Anyway, I have a few ideas where he might be."

"Very well, Navi. You may go and search out for your brother. If Altair is not found and returned within the year, I _will_ force you to take the boy on as your charge. Am I clear?" The Great tree rumbled.

"Crystal, sir," the blue ball of light proclaimed. And with that she was off, dashing out of the forest, so fast that the Kokiri only saw a blue streak of light.

"Now, if I was Altair where would I be? He likes to learn, so it is possible that he would be in some kind of library. But last I saw him he was going on and on about different metals and how each could be combined to create a stronger metal, so possibly a forge of some kind. Oh I don't know where any of those places might be. Maybe I will find some clues by asking some of the great Fairies." Navi muttered as she flew towards Hyrule.

-Eleven and a half months later at the top of Death Mountain-

"So, do you understand the design?" questioned a fairy that shined with a golden glow.

"Could you stop the glowing? It's irritating my eyes." grumbled a giant Goron that was at least a hundred feet tall, if not more.

"Sorry about that, it's just that after pouring so much energy into the sword, I'm unconsciously letting my magic keep me aloft," (1) the gold fairy replied as he let his glow recede. Flying in its place was a young-looking fairy with long, golden-brown, spiky hair (2) with stormy blue eyes. He wore a golden yellow great coat with swirls and spirals of white over it. On the back, there was a green, four pointed star. He wore a dark blue shirt with a coat of mail underneath. For his legs, he wore black cargo pants that ended at his ankles. (3)

"It's understandable Altair; it's just that your bright light irritates my eyes after looking into a fire all day long." The giant Goron replied, rubbing his eyes, trying to ease their irritation. "I think that I will need to order in some eye drops."

"Well if you think my glow is annoying, just be glad that you haven't met my sister. She's irritating, with or without her glow on." The fairy, identified as Altair, responded.

"Is she a blue fairy?"

"Yes, how do you know?"

"I think I see her coming up the mountain."

"Oh shoot. Something big must be happening back home for Navi to come and get me."Altair mumbled. "Well, can you keep a hold of the sword, until I have need of it? And while I'm gone, do you think you can improve the forge so it doesn't take so long to heat the metal up?"

"Sure, but I don't see how you will ever be able to use the sword." The Goron stated as he looked at the three and a half foot long saber that the fairy had crafted out of his magic and an extremely rare and hard to work ore, known to him as Star Rise. He claimed that the ore was similar to what was used to forge the legendary Master Sword. "Now get going. If your sister is even half as loud and annoying as you seem to think she is, then I don't want her anywhere near my forge."

"Fine. Fine. I'll meet her on the mountain." At that, the young fairy took off to meet his annoyingly loud older sister.

"Hey, did you miss me?" Altair shouted, startling Navi, who was flying slowly up the mountain earning him a glare from his sister. She had been keeping a wary eye on the mountain, knowing full well how it would often erupt.

"Now is not the time to be cheeky, you idiot! We need to hightail it to the Kokiri Forest! The Deku Tree has summoned you, and if we don't hurry, there will be severe consequences." Navi gasped out haughtily.

"Even tired and out of breath, you still sound stuck up." Altair stated, bluntly causing Navi's typical light blue glow to deepen with anger. "Well, let's get going. Although I don't know what the Deku Tree needs from me that my, oh so wise sister couldn't help." Altair sarcastically quipped as he rocketed towards the forest, leaving Navi far behind.

"How does he move so fast?" She quietly wondered aloud as she put on a magical burst to catch up with her brother.

-At the Deku Tree's Grove-

"So, what is so important that my dear sister left her beloved forest for a year just to find me?" Altair questioned the ancient tree.

"Something far more important now than it was before." The tree mumbled loudly. "You have been summoned here today to seek out a charge, and while I know you are picky, there is one in the forest that Navi and I believe will meet up with your high standards."

"Hmm. Well, I guess that I can take a look around. Although I doubt that I will find anyone, unless of course some new exceptional Kokiri have been born while I was away. But, who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and finally find the one who will be able to keep up with my antics." Altair replied as he slowly drifted towards the Kokiri village.

Exiting the grove, Altair noticed a young orange haired Kokiri standing outside the entrance watching over the village with a critical eye, carrying himself with an air of self importance. '_Hmm, let's see. Mido?_' In response to Altair's silent question, he saw a fairy fly out of Mido's pocket polishing a rupee. As Mido gazed out at the village, he noticed some of the Kokiri slacking off and attempting to sneak away to play. In response, Mido barked out his orders for the day's regime. One of the children complained that they should be allowed to play instead of doing meaningless work. In response, Mido walked up and slugged the young child in the gut causing him to stumble. '_Not a chance, he's a jerk, and a bully. And he already has a fairy. No way will I ever be his fairy! But regardless that boy needs to be put in his place._' Altair thought as he prepared to take action.

"Leave him alone!" A boy dressed in a bright emerald green tunic, and dark green, nearly black cargo pants shouted (4) and a strange, long hat that kept his unruly blonde hair under a semblance of control.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, fairy-less wonder? Hmm? Oh, that's right, nothing, because you're just a big ol' …" Mido started to rant, but was interrupted when the blond haired child cocked his arm back, and threw a Deku Nut right at Mido's face blinding Mido with a flash of light. At this, Mido started to jump around, screaming, "I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND!" During his screaming rant, the entire Kokiri village dropped what they were doing and turned their attention to Mido in time to see him stumble into the pond, soaking him thoroughly.

The entire village erupted in laughter at his sudden bath. "I'm going to kill you, Link!" Mido roared, as he started to chase the blond haired boy through the village. Link, though, led the irate boy through the pond across the stepping stones, which, of course, the already soaked boy slipped on and crashed into the water yet again. As he got up with water dripping from both him and his fairy, his face was flushed crimson from shame and rage. He chased Link through the village, stumbling through piles of leaves and tripping over the piles of stones that he had the other Kokiri collect. Finally, after a ten minute chase around the village, Mido had cornered Link on the cliff that led to the entrance of the Lost Woods. "Nowhere left to run, Link." Mido stated, as he started to stalk towards the boy.

"Are you sure? Because to me, it seems like you're the one who's out of room." Link said, causing Mido to smirk. But before the bully could charge, Link calmly reached down and pulled hard on a vine that lead to the leaf covered ground that Mido was standing on.

Without warning the ground was pulled out from underneath Mido's feet sending him falling into a deep, mud filled pit. Across the village a large 'SPLAT' echoed, causing the village to erupt in laughter, as they knew Mido had finally got the humiliation that he deserved. Watching all this, Altair suddenly knew. This is the charge that he has always been looking for. And without a sound, Altair left to tell Navi and the Great Deku Tree the good news; he had finally found a worthy and exciting charge.

"Hey Link! Wait up" A voice was heard crying out. Link stopped to wait for the person and when he saw the voice's owner, he smiled. It was his best friend, Saria, and her fairy, Kairi. Saria was a girl with emerald green hair that reached her shoulders and was slowly growing longer. She had bright blue eyes just like Link. She wore emerald green pants with a sapphire blue rose imprinted on the left leg. Her shirt was also green, but rather than a rich green, it was grass-green and rather simple. But to Link, the simplicity made her look beautiful. Kairi, was a peridot green fairy that acted like an older sister to the two, despite the fact that she was far smaller than the other two.

"Hey Saria, what's up?" Link casually asked.

"What's up? Link you finally stood up to Mido. You humiliate him in more ways than I can count, lead him on a chase ruining all the work that he was making everyone do. All the while staying completely safe and dry, while he is drenched, muddy, and sweating and you ask what's up?" Saria questioned incredulously. Link stood for a minute looking at Saria, then he started to chuckle. Saria looked at him chuckling which caused her to start giggling. They looked at each other attempting to calm themselves down, only to end up falling to the ground laughing.

After a couple of minutes listening to the two laugh themselves silly, Kairi spoke up interrupting their laughing fit. "If you two are done laughing, maybe we can go into the lost woods and play."

"Sure, why not," Saria replied. "Hey, let's go to my meadow!" Saria shouted. She then turned and ran towards the lost woods, with Link close behind.

As they entered the woods, the day suddenly grew cool from the shade provided by the thick tree's cover. The sounds of the village faded away, only to be replaced by the sounds of the forest as the two children raced through the woods, towards Saria's meadow; known as the Sacred Forest Meadow to the other Kokiri. As they neared the maze, the chirps of the birds and other animals lapsed into silence. Approaching the maze carefully, they saw the source of the silence. A whole group of wolfos of all colors and rank were there; there was the forest brown that were sometimes seen hunting through the woods, the white arctic, light brown and tan wolfos that seemed to smell of sand, and the regal black wolfos. The group of three stood there, stunned at the sight of an army of wolfos, until Link's senses returned and he stepped forward to protect Saria and Kairi.

"What are you doing here?" Link questioned the wolfos. In answer to his question, the army of creatures parted, and out stepped an aged wolf that shimmered with a fading light. He was a gold and white furred wolf. Not a wolfos, a wolf.

"_I have come to see the next king_," the wolf replied mysteriously. "_I must say that I approve. I will be waiting_," he said his voice echoing through Link's mind as he and his army walked deeper into the forest.

"That … was weird," Link said, a little shaken from staring down an army of wolfos.

"Yeah" Saria and Kairi breathed. "I wonder what that was about?" Saria questioned, before she turned to Link. "Sooo, how about we go and play some tunes on our ocarinas at my meadow?" Saria, suggested.

"All right," Link agreed. As the two walked through the maze into the meadow, Link began to ponder the wolf's words.

"_Next king? Next king of what? Obviously, he was talking about me, but how can I be a king? I mean, I don't even have a fairy._" Link thought glumly. When they arrived at the meadow, Saria began to question him.

"So Link, any plans for your birthday tomorrow?" Saria questioned with an innocent voice.

"Well, not really. But I guess that I will hang out with you." Link replied, which made Saria blush and giggle a bit. "You know what I want for my birthday?" He asked gloomily.

"_I know what he wants. He wants to be accepted, but with Mido's years of antagonism no one will accept him without a fairy. But m__aybe, he would like the ocarina that I made for him._" "You want a fairy, don't you?" Link nodded in glum silence. "Well how about I give you an early birthday present?" Link looked up in excitement, his gloomy mood quickly broken. "Here," Saria said, as she handed him a brand new ocarina. It was as green as the forest, but when he took it in his hands, it flashed a golden light changing to a dark green with a golden howling wolf imprinted into the shell.

"Wow, Saria, that was so cool! How did you do that?" Link said in shock and excitement.

Saria was stunned; she made the ocarina a bright green, how did it change? "Well, a girl has to keep her secrets." Saria proclaimed proudly. At this, Link pouted, but quickly cheered up at Saria's suggestion to practice with his new instrument. "So, Link, how about I teach you my song?"

"Your song? Wait, why don't I have a song?"

"That's because you haven't created one yet, silly. A person's song is something that they create themselves, and if it is done right then some kind of magic will accompany the song. For example, my song allows telepathic communication with someone no matter how far apart we are."

"Really? So, how do I make my own song?"

"That's for another time, now let me show you my song." At that, Saria started to play her song. Soon Link joined in, and the two were playing in concert until the stars came out.

"You know, Saria," Link said breathlessly; he had been playing non-stop for about two hours. "I think that I should head to bed; I have a feeling that I am going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I don't want you to be too tired for your birthday."

"Nah, I think something big is going to happen tomorrow, and I want to be ready for whatever it is."

"Well, I guess that is a good reason; well, I think I'll see you tomorrow. I will come by and wake you up." Saria shouted to Link, as he dashed towards his home, eager for whatever may come the next day.

-Meanwhile with the Great Deku Tree-

"So, after seeing Link stand up to the jerk who has been bullying the village for who knows how long and then seeing Link lead said jerk through a series of traps, publicly humiliating him in front of the whole village, and seeing his speed, cunning, and courage. I, Altair, the wandering guardian fairy, have decided to take Link on as my charge and create the guardian bond with him." Altair proudly proclaimed.

"See, I told you that he would take on the brat. So, how long do you expect to be with him until you leave him?" Navi questioned, glad for having dodged the arrow.

"Uh, Navi, were you paying attention?" The Great Deku Tree questioned.

"Of course I was. He is going to accompany him on his trip."

"Actually, I said that I am going to be his guardian fairy. So that means I am not leaving him." The golden fairy responded.

"WHAT!" The little blue ball screamed in panic. "So, what you are saying, is that you are going to bond yourself to a mor-"

"Hush Navi. He has made his choice and you know that he won't be diverted. If he wants to be his guardian fairy, then he shall be his guardian fairy."

"Well, I'm off. Later."

"Wait! Come back here, you messy haired idiot! You have to bring him here tomorrow, as soon as you can!" Navi screamed. His response was a simple wave of his hand, as he flew out of the grove and into the shadowed village, heading for the new house that had been built.

As he flew towards Link's house, he sensed powerful magic in the area. Once he reached Link, he immediately performed the bonding ritual with him, knowing that he didn't have much time left. In a flash of light, Altair summoned his two swords, and pointed them at Link's heart. From the blade's tips emerged a beam of golden light that struck Link, lighting up his entire house. As the light dimmed, Altair noticed the light taking the form of an aura resembling a wolf's shape, but before he had time to wonder, Altair fell into an exhausted sleep on Link's cap.

-Next Morning-

"So, Kairi, do you think he's awake yet?" Saria questioned her green fairy.

"Hm? What did you say, dear? Oh, right. Well, to tell you the truth I don't think so, I mean he sleeps as much as my boyfriend did.'

"Really? So, who is your boyfriend?" Saria asked, with a wide grin. "Do I know him?"

"Sorry, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, I think that we should go wake up _your_ boyfriend." Kairi said with a grin as she watched her charge blush as bright as a rose.

"I- I think we should go wake him up." Saria stuttered. As she climbed the ladder to Link's house, she noticed a strange glowing, golden light coming from Link's hat.

"Kairi, come and see, I think Link has just got himself a guardian fairy." Saria exclaimed happily, as she pointed to Altair surrounded by his golden aura.

Kairi floated over and once she saw the fairy she nearly dropped to the floor in shock. Once she recovered from the shock she spoke, "Hey, Saria, how about I tell you about my boyfriend, and _then _we wake them up?" Saria looked at her friend, confused.

"Well, alright."

**Well I hope that you have enjoyed the first chapter of my fanfiction. Review and keep a look out for my next chapter. Later.**

**I have revised this chapter to have it fit better with my other chapters, also I needed to change something for a future chapter.**

**1) I am giving the fairies actual looks, so the colors are just them letting their magic flow and keep them effortlessly aloft, undoing this actually makes them fly faster, but they lose more energy like this.**

**2) Think of Axel's hairstyle in Kingdom Hearts.**

**3) All of Altair's clothes are fairy sized. **

**4) ****I'm giving the boy some pants; surely, he deserves them.**


	2. Preparations

Everyone Dies

Chapter 2

**This chapter will explain a little about the history of one of my OC's, Altair. It also is the beginning of Link's epic quest. So get ready for the second chapter. Oh, I also forgot to tell you, that the title can be misleading, but the summary hopefully clears any of that up. An important note the maze to get the sword is much more dangerous. Now onto the story. **

**Note I do not own Legend of Zelda or any other movie or game references that might appear in this story. I do own the OCs and the plot. **

**This chapter has been revised with additional content and reposted. **

-Link's House, 10:00 AM-

"So, where to begin?" Kairi pondered.

"How about you tell me who he is," Saria replied, as she pointed to the golden fairy.

"_That_ is my boyfriend, Altair, who left twelve years ago and never came back." Kairi stated in a huff. "I mean, he always liked to go out and explore the outside world, but he has never been gone this long. And he always sent letters back to me, but not this time. No _this time_, he left for _twelve_ _years_. In fact, he didn't even write me a letter the entire time he was gone. I mean, really, how hard is it to write a letter when you are out of the forest?" Kairi ranted.

"Um, Kairi, maybe you can ask him when he wakes up. But since he's a fairy and fairies are often up with the sun, why is he still asleep?"

"Don't you remember what I said? That Link is as a heavy sleeper as Altair; I mean, the only way that he would wake up before noon is if he had something going on early that he _had_ to wake up early, or if someone forcibly woke him up." At this Saria nodded, knowing that was exactly how Link was.

"So, how are we going to wake them up? And what are you going to do to Altair when he wakes up?" Saria said giving her fairy a sidelong look. "I've known you long enough to know when you have something planned to get back at someone, and from what you have told me he _clearly_ deserves whatever you're going to do to him." The green clad girl explained getting a nod from her fairy.

"Alright, for Altair's punishment, we are going to need a kettle, a stove, and some tea leaves."

"You're kidding, right? I mean, everyone in the forest at least likes tea. How is that going to be a punishment?"

"Ah, but Altair _hates_ tea. In fact, when I accidently handed him a cup of tea once, he spat it out and was scrubbing his tongue for two hours, trying to get rid of the 'taste of evil' as he called it." Kairi replied with an evil grin. "_This _time, we are going to make him drink an entire glass of nice hot tea, and hold him down until it's all gone." Saria giggled at the thought of a fairy jerking around trying to escape tea, of all things.

"Alright, let's get busy." Saria replied as she rushed to get the ingredients ready.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

"Alright Kairi, you hold him down, while I pour the tea down his throat." Kairi nodded at this. "On three. One. Two. Three!" Saria shouted as she started to pour the hot tea down Altair's throat. At that moment Link and Altair woke, one to a nightmare, and one to confusion.

Altair struggled to get away, but he couldn't escape; Kairi's grip was too strong. And with the tea pouring into his mouth nonstop, he had no choice but to swallow the horrid stuff. When the cup was finished off, Kairi released her grip allowing Altair to bolt towards the window where he threw up trying to remove the tea from his body, coincidentally hitting Mido's fairy.

"What the heck was that about?" Altair yelled at Kairi and Saria as he pulled out a toothbrush and toothpaste, beginning to furiously scrub his teeth and, more importantly, his tongue, trying desperately to rid himself of the "taste of evil". Saria had the decency to look sheepish, but Kairi was smug.

"That's what you get for not telling me where you are, writing a letter, or visiting me for twelve years." The green fairy stated happily.

"What are you talking about? I sent you letters to your house in the Forest Temple like always." Altair argued as he continued to scrub the tea from his mouth.

Kairi sighed. "I'm Saria's guardian fairy, so I live with her now. I thought that you would have remembered since it only happened a week before you left."

"Uh, can someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" Link questioned, with a puzzled look on his face.

"Well…" Saria started to answer.

"I think I should be the one to explain." Altair demanded after spitting the toothpaste out the window. "My name is Altair. I don't exactly know what they are doing here, but I am here because I have chosen to become your guardian fairy. I haven't been around for a long time," Kairi gave Altair a glare at that point, "I have been travelling and doing some work the last twelve years in the outside world, which is why you haven't had a guardian fairy. But that is a story for another time"

"So tell me, Altair, what made you come back? And why did you stay away for so long?" Kairi innocently questioned.

"Well… uh, you see, my sister came and found me, saying that the Great Deku Tree had summoned me." Altair said nervously. "And well, I kind of got distracted by forging this sword. It took a long time and a lot of trial and error, before my friend and I finally got the metal to live up to its potential."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you're my guardian fairy?" Link questioned interrupting Kairi's interrogation. Altair nodded. "YES! Finally, I'm not the fairy-less boy anymore." Link happily proclaimed.

Altair's eyes sharpened at his charge. "Link, even without a fairy, you are more Kokiri than just about anyone else. You are cunning, you play pranks and are loyal, all of which are qualities that the others have forgotten. While having a fairy is something that every Kokiri has, it is not the only thing that makes one a child of the forest. Being a child is one. Loyalty is another." At this, he looked at Saria. "And of course, bravery, a quality that Mido has all but eliminated from the others. Link, while you didn't have a fairy, you stood up to the biggest bully and jerk that I have ever seen. It is because of that and other qualities of your character that I chose to be your guardian fairy. So, no matter what anyone tells you; you are a Kokiri."

"Thanks. I needed that."

"No problem. I just didn't want to be seen as a status tool." As he said this, everyone gave a chuckle.

"So, Link, now that it is your birthday, do you want to head out to the meadow and play our ocarinas?" Saria questioned. "_Or_ do you want to go and prank Mido again?"

"Hmm. I think that I will ch-"

"Altair, you lazy idiot, I told you to bring Link to the Deku tree as soon as you could wake him up." A familiar, yet unwelcome blue ball screamed.

"Aw, sheesh Navi, can't you give us a break? We only just woke up." Altair complained.

"Uh, Altair, who is the loud annoying fairy?" Link questioned his guardian.

"This," he points at Navi, "is my older sister, Navi. Unfortunately." The entire room snickered at this, except for Navi, of course.

"Shut up; if it wasn't for me then Altair would still be out of the forest doing who knows what. Now, are you going to bring him or not?" Navi rebutted.

"Fine, fine. Link, we have been summoned by the Great Deku Tree, so let's go!" Altair shouted. Link was about to say that he wanted to hang out with Saria, but Altair, sensing what Link was about to say, shook his head, telling him to keep silent or else they would have to face the wrath of Navi. Link then got up, grabbing his new ocarina and followed Altair out the door, waving bye to Saria and Kairi. "Just to let you know, if I didn't choose you as my charge, then you would have been stuck with my, oh so loveable sister." Link's eyes widened in horror at the thought of being stuck with an irritating fairy that wouldn't let him sleep in. Soon enough, the group reached the entrance to the Great Deku Tree, but Mido was standing guard.

"Hey! You can't go see the Great Deku Tree! After all we can't waste the time of the forest's protector on you. You don't even have a fairy, so why would the Great Deku Tree want to even look at you. So leave, before I teach you a lesson." Mido grumbled, clenching his fists as he got ready to fight.

"Mido, do you still have mud in your eye or something?" Link questioned.

"SHUT UP!" Mido shouted, instinctively scrubbing at his face.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that you didn't notice that I _do_ have a fairy. So since you _claim_ to have perfect eyesight, then you must have had mud in your eye." Link proudly rebutted as he pointed to Altair hovering above his shoulder.

"But how- I mean- wha-" Mido stuttered out.

"Well, anyway, are you going to let us through?" The golden fairy questioned.

"No. While he does have a fairy, he still needs a sword and a shield to be able to protect himself. I mean, unless you want to get eaten by the monsters, which by the way I have no problem with." The jerk said with a grin.

"Whatever. Well, let's go Altair, we need to find a sword, and buy a shield." Link said to his fairy as he headed off to go collect the money that he had hidden across the village. After an unfortunate event, in which his house was broken into and his wallet and money was stolen by someone, Mido probably, he had taken to hiding all but ten rupees across the village and the forest.

"So what should we get first: the sword or the shield?" Altair asked.

"Well, I have enough money to get the shield, and I don't exactly know where to get a sword. So I say that we get the shield, and then ask around about where to find a sword." Link replied.

"Well, to tell you the truth, the forest doesn't have that many swords. Actually, the only one that I know of is the Kokiri Sword. It's actually the only blade that the Kokiri have. I guess that there isn't enough metal around for many blades. Anyway, let's get the shield." Altair said.

Soon enough, Link reached Saria's house, and he proceeded to climb the ramp to reach the roof. "So, whose house is this? I don't remember who lives where anymore." Altair questioned.

"Well… It's Saria's." Link said, with a slight blush to his cheeks.

"So what exactly are we doing on top of your girlfriend's house? I mean, I know you want to see her and all, but shouldn't we hurry? I mean after all we are already in trouble with my sister." During this, Link's blush grew until he was beet red.

"W-Whatever." Altair snickered at his friend's plight. "The reason that we are up here is that I stashed some of my money under the boards of this bridge. I should have enough up here to buy the shield." Link explained. "Ah, here it is." Link suddenly pulled out fifty rupees. Now, let's go and get that shield." At that, Link leaped from the bridge and flew into a roll, ending up right in front of the store.

"Nice." Altair applauded Link's move. "Hey, look over at Mido, I think he is green with envy." Link looked over and sure enough Mido was glaring at Link with a look of jealousy and hate. "Come on, I don't particularly feel like being chewed out by my sister."

When they entered the store, they quickly noticed the shield that they were looking for, as well as some strange looking rock. "Psst, Link, how much have you got?"

"About…sixty rupees. Why?"

"I want you to buy that rock as well; I have a feeling that we are going to need it before too long. And don't worry if you run out of money; it's actually really easy to get money outside the forest. But, don't worry; I don't think he knows what he has." The golden fairy whispered. Link nodded as he approached the counter.

"Excuse me sir, I would like to buy a Deku Shield and that rock," Link said, pointing to the rock Altair had pointed out.

"The shield is forty rupees. The rock, well, I guess that I can sell it for five rupees." The shopkeeper said. Link responded by handing over the forty-five rupees. "Well, here you go." With that, the shopkeeper handed over the shield and rock. With their haul in tow, the two left the shop with Link strapping on the dark wooden shield decorated with a red emblem painted in the shape of the Kokiri Emerald.

"So, Altair, why did you want the rock?" Link questioned his fairy.

"Well, you see, it's not actually a rock. In reality, it's a piece of Star Rise, an extremely rare ore that when worked right can create the strongest weapons in the world. In fact, you happen to be looking at one of the only two people in the entire world that actually knows how to work Star Rise ore. I actually made a sword recently using it, but I'll tell you about that later. Anyway, if I remember correctly, we have to pass a test of courage of some kind in order to get the Kokiri Sword. But for the life of me, I don't know where the test takes place." Altair explained.

"Well, I'm going to ask the know-it-alls." Link stated as he walked west towards the know-it-all's house. "HEY!" Link shouted as he walked into their house. But when no one came running he shouted again, "Oh well I bet you guys probably couldn't even answer my question." Link said as he started to walk away. Suddenly, all three brothers appeared and stared eagerly at their blond haired friend. Altair stared at the brothers, in confusion, wondering how the brothers got out here so fast.

"So, what's the question?" The eldest asked.

"Well… we need to find the Kokiri Sword, and neither of us knows where it is. Soo, since you guys know anything and everything, we were hoping you could tell us." Link replied.

"Sure, no problem. The Kokiri Sword is the only blade in the forest. The reason for this is because the Kokiri don't go to war. We have only really needed one sword to protect us from the wandering creatures. But, that is the practical reason. Myth says that the goddess Farore created the blade from a falling star. And actually, from what I have heard, the Master Sword was created from the same star. Well, I hope that answered your question." The eldest answered.

"You idiot," the youngest of the brothers said, "You didn't tell them _where_ it is. Seriously, you're supposed to be the smartest of us? Anyway, simply put, the sword is in our backyard. Just go through the hole in the wall. But be careful. There is a reason that Mido isn't waving the sword around, terrorizing the village with it. The sword is guarded by a maze and traps, so you have to be very careful. The last Kokiri that went to get the sword never returned. Soo, if you have to go, be careful."

Link nodded his thanks as he and Altair left the brothers' house. They quickly approached the hole and entered into the maze. "Just letting you know, I _really_ hate puzzles, I prefer straight up fights." Altair mentioned.

"I know what you mean. This place could be full of poisonous darts, murder holes, pits of stakes and who knows what else." Link said thinking of all the traps that he and Saria had set in the maze that lead to her meadow.

Link stepped forward into the maze and paused as he heard a low growling. Turning his attention from the maze Link turned to stare as a large Forest Wolfos stepped out from the bushes that surrounded the entrance. The wolfos was a large one, easily seven to eight feet long and about five feet tall when it stood on all fours. The creature's shoulders were broad and underneath the predator's thick coat Link saw its muscles coiling and uncoiling. But what was strange about this wolfos was that its coat was a dark grey as opposed to the forest brown that Link was used to, and the mane it carried was a soft white. In the instant it took to take in the wolfos appearance Link had reached into his item bag and pulled out a Deku stick and a Deku Nut as he stared down large monster.

Altair hovering above Link suddenly dropped his aura and summoned his two twin swords, which appeared with a flash of white light. (1) Each blade was curved very slightly, the blades gleamed bright silver with the leading edge and point sharpened to a deadly edge while the back of the blade was dull and looked to made to block. Both of the sword's hilts shined with a golden glow. The guard extended was made up of three feathers that lined up with the sharpened edge, and while they merely looked decorative, the wolfos noticed that the feathered guards were just as sharp as the blade and could cause as much damage as the main sword.

The duo stood tensed, waiting for the wolfos' move. The forest guard lowered itself to the ground and prepared to attack, when it suddenly sniffed the air and looked to Link in disbelief. Taking another sniff the giant creature stood from its crouch and spoke. "_I am sorry my liege, but the blade within the maze has been my family's duty to guard since it was placed here. Your courage is strong, but you still must face the other tests further in._"

Altair opened his mouth to translate for Link but the boy replied first. "I am not sure what you mean by liege, but I thank you for letting us pass. Could you perhaps tell us your name?"

The wolfos grinned, "_I see the king has made an excellent choice. My name is Perrin, and I hope that you survive the trials, for I sense that you shall lead me to something even more worthy to guard._" Perrin said as he stepped aside.

"So what happened to your glow?" Link asked Altair as he walked into the maze.

"I like to call it my aura. Well, in simple terms, you can call it an extremely durable yet light set of armor. See, when we fairies glow, our defenses are high and we are highly resilient to damage and can fly very easily. Actually, it's more like floating. Most fairies prefer to go about living like this, but as for me, I rather fly without a buffer. See, for one thing, I am _far_ faster without the aura, and my strength is much greater without my aura. While my swords may be small, I can charge them up with light and increase the length of my blade from three inches to about ten inches. The downside of losing the aura is that you have to use your wings at all times if you want to fly; you can't just hover around anymore, so needless to say, it takes a while for someone to develop the wing strength necessary to live like this. But, enough about me, let's get the sword and freak out the jerk." Altair explained. (2)

Walking deeper into the maze, the duo avoided the multitude of traps, with Altair flying up high to look for traps hidden in the grass while Link paid particular attention to the walls and the ceiling. About twenty minutes into the maze, the walls changed from the typical flat wall to a curved and rounded shape. "I wonder why the walls are curved?" Link pondered only to earn a shrug from Altair. The two boys were doing well having avoided all the traps and meeting few dead ends when Link suddenly stumbled across a tripwire. Altair flew down in worry to check on his partner. "Are you alright?"

"I think so, but why set up just a trip wire? If I was going to make traps then I would have set up a pit in front of the wire trapping the intruder." Link said dusting himself off. The green clad boy was about to continue when he heard a rumbling noise from behind him. Link turned to face the noise only to see a giant boulder shaped into a smooth ball break free from its holding place and start to roll towards them gathering speed as it moved. Link turned around and quickly accelerated into a run away from the boulder and deeper into the maze.

Running forward, Link spotted a turn and raced ahead as he rounded the corner. He quickly realized the purposes of the curved walls when instead of hearing a crash of stone, he heard the boulder round the corner and continued on after him gaining speed the longer it rolled. After five minutes of running down the maze, past false doorways that held deep spike filled pits, Link saw yet another opening, motioning for Altair to check it out as Link ran on forward.

Altair reached the opening and he noticed the large ivy covered chest resting on a stump. "Link, I think I found it! Come on, this way!" Link gave a weary nod and pumped his legs harder as he ran for the opening with the boulder on his tail. Link leaped through the opening and into the safe clearing.

Laying on his back, panting for air, Link gasped out, "Let's _never_ do that again," Altair nodded, as he pulled a flask of juice from his coat pocket and started to chug it. "Well, let's go get that sword." Link said after he regained his breath. Altair flew towards the chest and took a seat while Link walked over towards it.

Link removed the vines covering the chest and opened the chest pulling out the Kokiri Sword. It was about two feet long from blade tip to pommel. On the cross guard sat a ruby. "Wonder what's with the ruby? Never mind. We're running late." Link said, as he turned to head out of the maze, when he suddenly stepped into a ray of light, transporting him to the entrance of the maze. "Well, that was useful." Link said. Looking around the entrance Link and Altair noticed Perrin standing by the hole in the wall, the large wolfos gave the boy a nod as Link exited the maze.

Outside of the maze, Link and Altair turned towards the Great Deku Tree's grove. As they approached the grove, Link and Altair decided to sneak up on Mido, who was, unsurprisingly, counting the money that he had stolen from the other Kokiri. "HEY, MIDO!" Link yelled right into Mido's ear, making him jump.

"What do you want Link? Here to beg to see the tree even though you couldn't get a sword?" he snidely asked.

"Actually, I just came to say that we got the shield and the sword, so we'll be leaving you to your greed. Later." Link said as he walked past the jerk. As the two walked down the path, they suddenly came upon strange blue flowers that began to jerk and snap at the air.

"Care to get in some sword practice?" The yellow coated fairy asked.

"Why not, I mean, Deku Babas can't be that bad." And with that, Link drew his sword, rushed to the plant, and sliced it to bits. He struck the first plant with a vertical slash, dodge rolled towards the second plant, and stabbed it in the mouth. Finally, he did a back flip over the final plant, slashing it open as he passed over it. (3)

"Very impressive. Is that the first time you used a sword?"

"Yeah, but I have practiced with Deku sticks all the time, so I have an idea about what I am doing." Link responded.

"Well, after we finish with the tree, how about I teach you some more advanced moves? Sound good?"

"Yeah, but how are you supposed to show me? You're like six inches tall!"

"Hey! I'm tall for a fairy, so be happy that you don't have to squint to see the moves that I'll show you." Altair responded just as they entered into the Great Deku Tree's glade.

"Ah, so you have arrived." A great, booming voice declared. The two quickly stopped bickering and turned their interest towards the tree. "I am glad that you have finally come. There is a task that you must accomplish. Link…I have been cursed by the greatest evil known to the world. This evil that I speak of has the potential to end many, many lives for centuries to come, unless it is stopped. But first, you must remove the curse that has been placed on me. Go Link, go Altair, if you do not defeat the curse by midnight, then all is lost, and the world shall fall." Without another word, the ancient tree opened his mouth, and the two friends entered.

**That is the end of chapter two. Next chapter Link gets a **_**very**_** powerful weapon. The spider arrives. Navi serves a purpose. And more is revealed. Be sure to review, and comment. And to get you thinking what is the greatest evil in the world? Oh and don't expect an update until sometime during next week.**

**I decided to edit this chapter, because my brother complained about the maze scene, anyway I hope you have enjoyed the revisions that I have made. Send me a review to leave your opinion.**

**1) Altair summons his swords similar to how Sora summons his keyblade in Kingdom Hearts II. **

**2) Unless said otherwise Altair will not be glowing, he will have his outfit described in chapter one.**

**3) Think of a reverse helm splitter.**

**Also Perrin is not an arctic wolfos, he is a special kind of forest wolfos. And more of his character shall be revealed later. **


	3. Into the Spider Den

Everyone Dies

Chapter 3

**I would like to thank Sword of Protection and Doctah Ayvil for their reviews.**

**To recap, the chapter starts off as Link and Altair enter the Great Deku Tree. Now, the dungeon is going to be changed, and Link will get a different, yet similar weapon in the dungeon. Note that the tree has been cursed for a year, so there are a whole lot more enemies in the tree. No more hints. Now read. **

**Tektites are blue, four-legged jumping spiders with one red eye. They are about three to four feet tall.**

**Gohma family: They are black and green with three legs; the back leg can be used like a stinger. They also have one large eye that turns red when angered. The Gohma Larva are about two feet tall. Young Gohma are about four to five feet tall. Large Gohma are eight feet tall. The Queen is twelve feet tall.**

**Note: I do not own Legend of Zelda, or ****any other movie or game references that might appear in this story. I do own the OCs and the plot. Also, this is the last time I will be putting up the disclaimer, thus, it applies to all future chapters.**

**Note that the only changes I made were some small grammatical changes as well as changing how I wrote the author's notes.**

-Inside the Tree - 7:00 P.M.-

"All right, we have five hours to find what is killing the tree." Altair told Link.

"Well, the Great Deku Tree did say that it was cursed, so it could be anywhere."

"Yeah, but typically, curses aim for the life source of a living thing, so since the curse couldn't block out the sun, it must have went for the leaves." Altair deduced.

"Um, I think the life source for a tree is actually its roots. Why would it attack its leaves? That would make no sense, besides there are _far_ too many leaves for any curse, no matter how powerful it is. _I_ think that the curse is located at the roots." Link stated.

"Well … I haven't lived in the forest in twelve years so botany has slipped my mind." Altair sheepishly responded to Link's incredulous look. "Whatever, well, your idea makes more sense, so let's go to the roots."

"How are we going to do that? I mean, there is a huge spider web blocking the way down." Link stated as he walked towards a giant spider web-covered hole in the ground. The web was actually multiple webs; it was made up of at least twelve webs, layered so thickly that it was almost as solid as the floor. "Look, it's so thick, it won't even give way."

"Well, let's try to cut it." Link nodded and he pulled out his sword, as Altair summoned his two swords. . And together they attacked the web. They worked at the edges, trying to cut open a hole open wide enough for them to pass through. But after twenty minutes of cutting and slashing, they only cut two strands of the multi-layered web. "You know, I don't think that this is going to work. Maybe we should try something else."

"Yeah. Anyway, how can spider webs be so thick?"

"Well, I think there is some kind of magic that is running through the webs. Typically, with magic, you can either overpower it or perform a counter spell. But since neither of us are any good at magic, we have to find another way to get through."

"Maybe we can burn it? But I don't have anything to light my Deku Stick."

"Well, I was also thinking of fire, but I didn't have any wood. But I do have some flint and a knife." Altair said searching his pockets for his flint and knife. "What magicians often forget is that almost every kind of spell can be replicated or countered by normal means."

"Very true. I mean, look at where we are. We are the least adept at magic, but it us that the Deku Tree asks to end the curse. Sometimes magic is just not enough. Anyway, is the flint ready?" Link asked his golden fairy.

"Yeah. Now hold the stick steady." Link nodded as Altair hovered near the end of the Deku stick. He struck the flint with his knife a few times, causing sparks to leap from the stone and onto the stick. After a minute of the wood smoking, it finally caught fire. "Great, now get it away from me so my wings don't burn off." Link chuckled as he swung his flaming stick at spider web. The web instantly caught flame and burned itself away layer by layer. The web was so thick that it took a solid three minutes to burn all the way through.

"Well, that certainly took awhile." Link stated.

"No kidding. I mean, who puts that much defense over a hole?" Link nodded.

"Well, I always wanted to try some high diving." Link said as he looked over the edge and stared down at a deep pool. But as he stared, he heard strange clicking and clacking sounds. "Hey, Altair. You hear that?" Altair paused and flew halfway down the hole and then he flew back up.

"Listen Link, when you dive, be sure to have your sword out, because the entire place is covered with spiders." Link stared at his friend, incredulous at the idea that the entire lower level of the tree is infested by spiders. After a few seconds, Link nodded. "Alright, here's the plan. I will fly down there and clear you a spot to get on land, once you get to land, I will fly recon and take out any enemy surprises. Deal?"

"Deal." At that, Altair flew down the hole, summoning his swords as he passed by some gold skulltulas. When he reached the land, he added light to his blades, increasing their length.

"One." Altair flew towards land and started to slay a horde of spiders, attempting to clear the land. Altair flew towards the group of spiders made up of Tektites, Gohma Larva, Young Gohmas, as well as a Large Gohma. (1)

"Two." Altair passed two Tektites that jumped at him at the same time. He swung his swords right through their eyes, blinding them, causing them to randomly jump around injuring other spiders.

"Three." The fairy started to dance through the spiders, blinding them two at a time.

"Four." Most of the Tektites were blinded and were causing havoc among the other spiders, while the Large Gohma and the Young Gohmas were staying away from the carnage the Tektites were causing.

"Five." At that, Link leaped down into the waiting waters. As he hit the waters, the spiders' attention was suddenly drawn to Link. As soon as he surfaced, the Tektites that could still see tried to hop to the newcomer, but they were too anxious and crashed into each other. In the brief look before he started to swim for shore, Link noticed that the cavern was divided into two layers divided by the water, one higher and one lower. Link quickly swam to the lower shore, as soon as he reached the shore, he quickly pulled out his shield just in time to guard against a Young Gohma from sinking its fangs into his chest. As it crashed into his shield, Link slashed with his blade across its body from head to tail. Link moved onto the next spider, sidestepping it and allowing it to run itself through on his blade. Link quickly spun on his heel, bringing his blade through the spider and slashing the Tektite that was about to crush him. As he finished his slice, he back flipped, avoiding the pounce of two Tektites. As he landed, he jumped forward into a jump slash, slicing the two spiders in two. Seizing the opportunity, Link preformed a quick spin attack, taking out four Young Gohmas, and seven injured Tektites. As Link stood there amongst the chaos, he heard multiple splats from behind.

Turning quickly, Link prepared to defend himself when suddenly Altair sped from the chaos he was causing with the blinded Tektites and started to slay the Gohma Larva with his dual blades. Link turned back to face the remaining spiders. Doing a quick count, he noticed that all the remaining Tektites were being slayed by the other spiders. In fact, there was only the Large Gohma that stayed out of the conflict, and five Young Gohmas that were left alive. Altair suddenly flew to Link's shoulder. "So Link, how many did you get?"

"Sixteen. You?"

"Twenty. But I think that I'll leave this bunch to you." Link nodded. "Oh and if I were you, I would suggest using some Deku Nuts, they are no longer going to rush in blindly, so be careful." Link nodded and glared at his enemies.

Link ran toward the spiders, who had formed a crescent to enable them to attack from all sides, pulling a Deku Nut once he was about halfway there. As soon as he entered the crescent, he slammed the nut down and leaped towards the stunned Young Gohmas. As he reached them, he jumped and slashed down, slicing a spider in half. As he landed, he leaped back, performing his reverse helm splitter. By this time, the spiders had awoken and were starting to swarm Link. Link ducked a flying tackle by a Young Gohma and slashed upwards, cutting the young spider's heart. As the dead spider flew towards the ground, Link stood with another Deku Nut in hand and threw it at the face of the Large Gohma, also stunning the remaining two Young Gohmas. Link dashed towards the Large Gohma and jump slashed the large spider, awakening it from its stunned state. As it awoke to blinding pain, it started to thrash around crushing the other two spiders. Link threw yet another Deku Nut at the great spider, this time blinding it as well as stunning it. Link charged and unleashed a series of sword strikes at its eye and its mandibles. In response to the beating it thrashed about in pain, until Link thrust his sword into the eye and into its brain, effectively killing it.

"_He has great reflexes and keen spatial awareness; he's going to be a hero someday."_Altair thought. "Well, onto the Queen."

"Wait, we just took out forty two spiders, including a giant spider, and you're saying that we're not done yet?"

"Technically, we took out over a hundred spiders; the ones we didn't kill were killed by the Tektites that I blinded. But yeah, we still have to kill the Queen."

"Oh yippee. Well, onward to yet another giant spider." Link said. Only then, he looked down at his clothes, now covered with the blood of the spiders that he and Altair had slain. Looking at his fairy, he noticed that his once bright yellow coat was covered in blue Tektite blood; in fact, it looked as if he took a shower in the stuff. "It's going to take forever to get cleaned up."

"Yeah, well, it's a good thing that the one spell that I do know removes blood and dirt and so on so forth. Very handy when on the road." Link nodded. "But let's save the spell for after we kill the giant spider."

"Good point, let's not waste energy before the final battle."

"Anyway, before we go and face the good Queen, how about we get you a long-range weapon, I guarantee that the Queen will be bigger and badder than that Large Gohma."

"Fine, but where are we going to find a long-range weapon in a tree, I guess I can go and borrow Saria's slingshot …" Link started as he drifted off, thinking about his friend.

"Hey! Focus man, you can think about your girlfriend after we defeat the Queen. Besides, her slingshot is only a toy. But you know, I think you're right, a slingshot is needed. But not the ridiculous toy slingshots your friends have. What I am going to have you build is an ancient war sling."

"Huh." Altair sighed at Link's response.

"The sling that I want you to build can be made of flax, braided rope, or something similar. A sling can throw a stone up to a hundred and fifty miles per hour with a stone bullet." Link's eyes widened in shock at the potential of the weapon he would create. "Alright, we will make a sling out of some of the enchanted spider webs. Here's what you're going to do: cut two cords of web, about two and a half feet a piece, then tie the two cords together, allowing a diamond shaped hole in between the two chords. The hole will allow for the stone bullets. Alright, you understand?"

Link stared for a minute trying to picture in his mind on how the weapon is supposed to look; after he got the picture, he nodded. "Alright, let's get started." At that Link ran towards a web in the corner of the room, where he cut some strands of the web. With the freshly cut strands, he started to weave them together as Altair instructed.

While Link wove his sling together, Altair flew around the cavern finding some stone bullets for Link's sling. It took awhile, because as one might think, there were not a lot of rocks in a tree. But by the time Link finished building his sling, Altair had found seven suitable bullets for it.

"Alright Link, I have seven stones for you, so I feel that we have a few to spare for practice."

"Sure, but how do I use this thing?" Link questioned.

"In reality, it is very simple. You load a rock in the diamond, and then you grab the two ends of the sling in one hand. After that, you simply swing the sling around over your head, and release one of your cords, thus releasing the stone. It takes practice to get really good at it, but unfortunately we don't have that much time left. I'd say that we have about three hours left, so we better hurry."

"Alright, here's the plan. I will practice for an hour with the sling, while you rest for thirty minutes, then go and search for the Queen. If you find her, don't engage, but observe, and see if you can set traps. Sound like a plan?" Link asked his golden friend.

Altair chuckled at the mental image of Navi yelling at Link to go off and fight a battle that he wasn't prepared for. "And my sister suggested that you were incompetent. Anyway, good plan, but I would suggest keeping three of the stone bullets in preparation for the Queen." Link nodded at his suggestion. "Alright, I'm going to take a nap, wake me up in thirty minutes." And with that, Altair flew towards the vines that led to the hole they made by burning the spider web, where he promptly fell asleep.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

Altair was sleeping peacefully in the vines when a sudden CRACK a foot and a half from him pierced the air. Altair shot out of the vines, summoning his swords in preparation of an attack. "So, how did I do?" A voice questioned. Altair looked to the source of the voice that was standing three hundred feet away.

"Not bad Link, but couldn't you have awoken me a little gentler than with a stone bullet?" Link chuckled at this as Altair dismissed his blades.

"Anyway, it's your turn to do some work while I take a nap." Link stated as he walked towards the cavern wall where he in turn promptly fell asleep.

"I guess that we really are the same. If we were the same race, people would think us brothers. Well, best be off." And with that, Altair flew towards the higher ledge. Once he reached the higher level, he noticed that part of the floor was made up of more spider webs. "_Oh great, yet another enchanted spider web. Hmm, it seems that this web is a whole lot thinner; I should be able to cut the web with my swords._" So Altair summoned his swords and energized them with light, and proceeded to cut a large hole in the web that would allow both himself and Link to pass through. Once the hole was plenty large enough, Altair flew down the hole and ended up hovering above another pool. As Altair looked on around the room, he noticed the dim lighting, the decaying roots, and of course another enchanted spider web. "Well, this seems to be the entrance to the Queen's chamber. But unfortunately, I can't open the stone door." Altair said as he looked at the giant stone door that stood at the back of the deep cavern. As he continued to stare at the door, he suddenly heard several loud crashes behind him, he noticed that it was several Tektites had survived and had ambushed him.

"Oh goody." And with those words, the group of four Tektites launched themselves at the small golden fairy. Reacting fast, Altair summoned his swords and flew at the leading blue spider. As he closed in, he threw his left blade at the Tektite, it going straight through its brain. Dashing to the right, Altair slashed through the top half of the brain of the creature. The remaining two spiders jumped together, attempting to crush the fairy, but Altair had re-summoned his left blade, thus allowing him to fly over the charging spiders, at the same time flinging his swords, charged with light, through the brains of the spiders.

"Well, I think Link has had enough of a rest, besides, I am seriously getting tired of spiders." So Altair flew up the hole and saw Link awake, standing atop yet another Large Gohma. "Hey! What happened?" Altair questioned his friend.

"Well, while you were doing whatever you were doing, this spider, which I assume was hiding in the upper rooms, came down and ambushed me. But I was able to use the sling to pierce the spider's outer shell. I used three stones on it and then ran and finished it off with my sword. Anyway, how did your trip go?"

"Eh, pretty much the same as what you went through. But that's beside the point. I found the Queen's chamber, but I couldn't explore it, seeing as it's blocked by a large stone door. To get there, we just need to climb up to the upper ledge, then go down the spider hole, then face the wonderful Queen. You up to it?"

"Let's go." Link said with a determined light in his eyes. Link ran and leaped up grabbing the upper ledge and pulled himself up. When he reached the top, he noticed the gaping hole in the 'floor'. "Spider web?" Altair nodded. "Well, let's get out of this den of spiders.' And with that, Link jumped through the hole and landed safely in the pond below. Link swam to the edge and ran towards the heavy door. As he reached it, he paused and looked at his fairy, "You ready?"

"Just open the door. Or do I have to use my amazing fairy powers to open the door for you?" Altair joked. Link rolled his eyes and opened the door. As the team stepped through, the door suddenly closed behind them. "You know, whenever a door shuts itself ominously, things are about to get ugly."

"Wise advice, so I think that you should take out any minor enemies while I handle the Queen."

"I would suggest the opposite. I cannot kill the Queen, but I can keep it distracted while you handle the minions, and once you finish the minions off, then you come and finish the Queen off with the sling."

"How are you going to do that, you're only six inches tall." Link retorted.

"Simple. Every piece of armor, whether natural or man-made, has a weak point. And since I am six inches tall, I will be better able to strike at these places. But I won't be able to do enough damage to kill it. At the most, I'll cripple it. But that will only happen if it bleeds too much. Anyway, finish the minions fast, remember, friendly fire."

"Got it. Thanks Altair. Hey, you hear that?" There was suddenly a sound like a thousand bushes rattling in the breeze. And suddenly the two looked up and saw a volcanic red eye glaring at the two, seemingly accusing them for the deaths of her children. "You know what? I think I got the easy job. Good luck Altair." Link said as out of the ground popped out thirty five Young Gohmas. "You know what? Good luck to me." Link said as he turned to face the last of the Queen's brood.

Suddenly, the Queen dropped down to the floor, and screamed a cry filled with rage and sorrow. The Queen Gohma was easily ten feet tall when crouched, but was twelve feet tall when it stood erect. After the Queen finished the scream, it reared back and spat a ball of venom out at the fairy. But Altair was agile, and he quickly avoided her strike as he rocketed towards her body attempting to find the weak points in her armor.

As Link reached the angry children of the Queen, he knew that this would be a hard fought battle, for they were fighting in front of their mother. The first spider leapt up at the boy, while its brother attacked low on Link's right. Noticing the position that he is in, Link sidesteps and slashes at the two spiders, effectively killing them. Link back steps as a spider landed right where he was standing; rushing forward, Link thrust his blade through the spider's eye, then whipping it out to slash the legs of an approaching spider. Link sensing the rapidly decreasing space, performs a spin attack catching three spiders that were overly aggressive in their charge. As the other spiders quickly backed up, Link notices a shadow approaching and raises his shield in time to guard against the diving spider, but the new weight causes Link to fall to his back. Link quickly pulls out a Deku Nut and throws it on the ground, blinding all the spiders in the area. Suddenly, an ear piercing screech of pain is heard from the direction of Altair and the Queen. Link quickly slays the spider on top of him, before returning to the mass of spiders that were wandering around blindly attacking each other. In the midst of the chaos, Link quickly attacks the spiders. By the time they recovered their eyesight, there are but four left alive. Link advanced quickly, rushing from one spider to another, slashing and stabbing them to death.

Once the last of the Queen's children were dead, Link turned his attention back toward the Queen just in time to be hit by his fairy. "Oww, what were you thinking, flying at me like that?" Altair stared at him incredulously. At that time, Link noted that his fairy had been injured by the giant Queen. "Alright, stay here," Link said as he placed Altair in his hat.

Turning his attention towards the rapidly approaching Queen, Link pulls out a Deku Nut and threw it, blinding the Queen. Link quickly noted that the Queens left leg was not working so well. He ran to that side pulling out his sling and a stone as he ran. Once he was in position, Link started to swing the sling faster and faster, when he suddenly released a cord, sending the stone bullet flying at the Queen. The stone ripped through her armored skeleton and struck a nerve in the right leg, causing the Queen to fall to the ground, in pain.

Link, ceasing the opportunity, ran in front of the Queen and pulled his last stone and armed his sling. Link started to rotate the sling as he ran to position himself in front of the Queen. Once he reached the front, he saw her glaring at him. Smiling in victory, the young boy released the stone, sending it straight through its eye and brain, effectively killing the monster. As the queen died, all the spiders that they had killed started to disintegrate into smoke and ash.

From the ashes of the Queen emerged a glowing blue circle. "Hey, Link, I think we're supposed to step into the circle," Altair said as he emerged from Link's hat.

"Well, that's kind of obvious, but it's just that I thought that by defeating the Queen that I'd get a little stronger."

"Link, this is real life. There are no mystical crystal hearts that increase one's life. But it's true that you do get stronger by killing creatures such as the Queen and fulfilling other such tasks of courage and ability. While you may not sense it, you are stronger, you are now harder to injure and your body doesn't bleed as fast, allowing you to fight with injuries longer. Understand?" Link slowly nodded his head, not fully comprehending the situation. "Let's just enter the circle."

To this, Link eagerly ran towards the blue light, as soon as he entered the circle, he felt a pull on his body lifting upwards. Suddenly, Link found himself outside, standing before the Great Deku Tree and Navi. Link looked about, confused. "If you figure it out, tell me. But in the meantime, just accept things as they are." Altair whispered to Link.

"Well done, Link and Altair, you have defeated the curse and have saved the future from certain destruction. The land of Hyrule is still in great danger, but now, I can pass on the sage duties." Link and Altair looked at each other in confusion. "The curse that the evil I mentioned placed on me served two purposes. The first would be that I would die; the second is that I was unable to pass on the duties and powers of the sage. This would spell the end of the world, because without the sage of the forest, the evil would easily crush any and all opposition." The Deku Tree said.

"I had originally chosen Saria to be the next sage." Link's eyes widened in shock for his friend. "But there is not enough time to find her, so I must appoint the wisest creature in the forest. Navi, come forward." Navi quickly flew towards the front of the Deku Tree. "Navi, do you hereby accept the duties of the Forest Sage. Including the protection of the Kokiri Emerald, and the Forest Temple?"

"I do."

"Then Navi, I hereby proclaim thee the Forest Sage." Navi bowed low before her friend and master. "Now, Link and Altair, there is a task that you must perform." The duo stood at attention to the elder tree, one on earth and the other on Link's shoulder. "The spiritual stone of the forest, the Kokiri Emerald, has been stolen by the evil that I mentioned. I appoint you two to leave the forest and retrieve the Emerald and bring it back to Navi. But I also want you to stop the evil that stole the stone, for I fear that it seeks the legendary Triforce, you mu-"

"Wait a minute, if I leave the forest, I'll die. How is that going to help anyone?" Link questioned in panic. Navi opened her mouth to explain.

"I got this sis. Link, it is true that by leaving the forest, you are condemning yourself to death." Link's eyes widened in terror, "But your death will most likely be far off in the future. You will die, yes, but it will be because you grew up, and old age claimed you. You won't magically turn into dust the instant you leave the forest, no Kokiri will."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I even have evidence and a story to go along with what I said. But remember this: everyone dies; whether today, tomorrow, or even decades from now. The question is, what have you done with your life, for that is what you must answer when you meet the creator, understand?" Link looked at the ground deep in thought.

"_If I leave I will die, but if go I will accomplish so much. I will help to save the world. But I will be leaving Saria._" As Link stood there, lost in thought, he felt a weight settling on his head.

"You know, we won't be leaving till tomorrow, so you don't have to make a decision till then." Altair said as he lay stretched out on top of Link's hat. Link slowly nodded before looking up to the tree.

"Can you tell us who did this to you?" Link questioned the great tree.

"I will not say their name. But I will say this, beware the prince…" As he was saying this, his rich brown color faded away to a pale ashen color. The Great Deku Tree, guardian of the forest for a thousand years, had died. A heavy silence took over the clearing. It seemed as if the forest was honoring the passing of a legend.

"Hey Navi," Altair whispered. "Do you know what he was about to say?"

"No, he wanted to speak only to you two. But enough of that, you two should go home to rest. After all, you guys must have had a hard time with the curse." Navi said, strangely kind for once.

As the two exited the clearing to head back to their home, Mido stepped in front of the two. "Hey, what happened?"

Altair looked at Link, who spoke. "The Great Deku Tree is dead."

Mido looked shocked, until a murderous and cruel gleam appeared in his eyes. "YOU. You killed the Deku tree." Mido hissed. "You better watch yourself." Mido whispered as he walked back to his house, to plan something nasty for Link.

"Well, we best head home." Link nodded as he walked home, his mind still swimming through a sea of thoughts. "Hey Link, I am going to go visit some people, so do you mind if I head out?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, no problem. Just be sure to come back." Link mumbled as he started to climb the ladder to his home.

"Hey," Link turned to look at his friend. "I won't leave you, whatever your decision. Understand." Link nodded, with a gleam coming back into his eyes. Altair turned and flew off into the Lost Woods as Link entered his home.

Stumbling forward, Link found his lantern and lit it using a piece of flint that he had lying on the table. As the light flooded the room, Link saw a golden gleam at the front of his bed. Turning quickly, Link drew his sword as he faced the golden wolf.

"What do you want?" Link asked with absolutely no fear.

"I have come to inform you of your duties, rights, and abilities." The wolf said.

-Lost Woods Sacred Forest Meadow-

"Saria! Saria!" A golden blur shouted as he approached the large stump that sat at the middle of the large clearing. The happy tune that had filled the forest suddenly stopped.

Saria and Kairi turned to face Altair. "What is it?" Saria questioned her friend's fairy.

"I need a favor."

**There is the end of chapter three. This chapter turned out to be ****much**** longer than I thought. Oh and Altair preformed the cleaning spell when Link and himself were transported back in front of the Deku Tree. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Read and review. I look forward to comments and suggestions. I will be having a poll up soon, so I hope you take part. Later.**

**1) **** The large gohmas are as large as the Queen Gohma in the Ocarina of Time.**


	4. Out of the Forest

Everyone Dies

Ch 4

**I would like to thank Sword of Protection, Doctah Ayvil, Jarnsaxr, and Princess of Dolphins for their reviews.**

**Alright, I left you off with a mild cliffhanger, but I am sure that you all realized the favor. But now you get to see the interaction. This chapter sees a lot of explanations of some of the elements that will come into play later on in the story.**

-Sacred Forest Meadow-

"I need a favor." Altair said to Saria and Kairi. The girl was sitting on her favorite stump playing her ocarina, as she waited impatiently for Link to finish talking with the Great Deku Tree. Kairi, the little green fairy, noticed that Altair was somehow not glowing.

"So, what is it exactly?" Saria questioned, a little nervous by how the fairy had come flying into the meadow.

"Link and I might be leaving the forest tomorrow on a quest, and I was hoping that both of you would be willing to come with us." Altair said.

"What? But why?" Saria questioned hurriedly as she tried to contain the rising panic in her heart that her best friend, and more, might be leaving the forest, instantly turning to dust. "You know if he leaves he will turn into dust, and so will you!" Saria all but yelled. Kairi floated above Saria's shoulder, giving Altair a glare through her glow.

"Look, IF we go we WON'T turn into dust, so that's not a problem." Altair explained, which caused Saria to noticeably calm down.

"Oh? And how do you know that? The last time a Kokiri left the forest, he turned to dust. Everyone knows that." Kairi pointed out which caused Saria to tense up again.

"Look, you're right that all who leave the forest turn to dust b-"

"So, you lied." Saria pointed out sadly.

"No, uh this is hard to explain to immortal creatures. Okay, let me try to explain. Every man-like creature is formed from dust. Hylian, Kokiri, Sheikah, Gerudo, and Goron. Zoras are made from sand. But anyway, the point is that all these races are made from the earth. Understand?" Saria and Kairi nodded. "Okay, now when a mortal dies they return to what they once were, whether it be dust or sand. So when I said that we won't be turning into dust, I meant that once we pass beyond the forest boundaries, we won't immediately turn into dust. We will return to the earth once we die, not before. See, any one of the human races can be accepted as a Kokiri. Kokiri, in reality, are just children with extremely powerful magic, but they do carry the ability to change." Altair explained.

Saria sat there for a minute, trying to wrap her mind around the information that she just learned. "So what do you mean by 'the ability to change'?" Saria asked Altair.

As Altair opened his mouth to speak, Kairi suddenly cut him off. "I think I understand what he is trying to say. He means that if you leave the forest then you will grow up like any other race." Kairi elaborated.

"Look, Saria, to put it simply, everyone dies. You can either live in the forest safe and sound till the end of time, at which point you will die. Or, you can go and travel with Link and grow up." Altair added on.

Saria sat there, picturing herself all grown up with a certain blond haired youth as a husband, and many children running around their house, which would be sitting at the edge of a forest with a river running past. As Saria continued her daydream, Kairi and Altair flew away to discuss something.

"Alright, I think that you have gotten her hooked on the idea." Kairi said as she looked back onto Saria's dreamy face. "But why did you ask this? I mean, why does Link even have to go?" Kairi asked.

"Look, Kairi, I've seen the way those two look at each other, so I know that they care for each other. I have a feeling that if Link doesn't have her with him, then even if he successfully completes the quest, he won't be the same."

"What do you mean by that?"

Altair thought for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to phrase his idea. "Alright, the easiest way for me to put it is that there has to be a personal reason for any hero to go on a quest. Sure, people go on quests all the time on orders, but it is that personal spark that enables them to overcome the challenges ahead." Altair explained.

Kairi hovered for a minute, pondering over all the stories that she knew of legendary heroes, and she realized that it was true; every single one had something, often someone, to fight for. "But why can't he just go out on a quest to protect her? You know, save her from the evil that is coming."

"Kairi, even if he did, and he returned safe and sound, it doesn't matter how long you stay outside the forest. Once a Kokiri leaves it, time never lets them go." Kairi's eyes widened, realizing that they could never be together, and that she and Altair could never be together, for the bond between the two assured that Altair wouldn't live past Link very long.

"Okay, that makes some sense, but what happened to the Great Deku Tree? Did something bad happen?"

"Wait, how did you know that?"

"While Saria may have been waiting impatiently for Link to come by for his birthday party, I was paying attention to what the forest spirits were doing. So I noticed that they became all too still, then they suddenly flew off towards the Great Deku Tree's grove." Kairi said. "So what exactly happened? Oh, and while your explaning, you can tell me how you got rid of your aura."

"You want to know everything, don't you?" Altair said with a sigh as Kairi nodded.

-Link's House-

"I have come to inform you of your duties, rights, and abilities." The golden wolf said.

"What are you talking about?" Link questioned his guest, lowering his sword.

"You were supposed to become a wolf like I am today, but thanks to that fairy, Altair, you are still Hylian, well mostly anyway."

"Wait, I'm a Kokiri, not a Hylian."

"That may be what you've been told, but what was said was a lie."

"But if that is true, then how is it possible that I am not a monster?"

"The reason is fairly simple, because you had not yet turned twelve. If a person of twelve or more enters this forest then they will immediately turn into a monster." Link opened his mouth to interrupt, but the wolf glared at him, causing Link to close his mouth. "But it is still possible for someone younger than twelve to turn into a monster; because of your courage and your kind heart, you were able to remain as you are now. Now if your curiosity is sated, I will continue on with your duties. As th-"

"Wait. D-did Altair now that I was a Hylian, and only became my guardian in order to save me from being turned into a monster?" Link asked, a little depressed that his new friend only became his friend in order to save him.

The wolf stared at Link a little bit before chuckling. Seeing Link's angered glare and raised sword, he explained. "Altair is many things, but I doubt that he knew that you were Hylian, not that it would have made much of a difference to him. In fact, that was one of the reasons that he was outside the forest, he was looking for anyone that he felt needed and deserved a fairy like him. In essence, he wanted an adventurer as a partner, but he was never able to find anyone that fit his standards. That is, until he met you."

At this, Link looked relieved, so he decided to finally ask the question that has been bugging him since he first met the wolf. "Who are you?"

The wolf looked up to Link in amusement. "Well, I had expected that question sooner or later. My name is Rannoch the wolf king. I have been the Wolf King for the last two hundred years." Link looked upon in amazement at the ancient creature before him. "You may be wondering why I have lived for two hundred years, but the reason is that the title of Wolf King must be passed on to one that is worthy until one is able to die. And as Altair will proclaim, that is no easy task. But it is especially difficult for me to find a successor. For, as I have explained, people who enter the forest over the age of twelve are turned into monsters, and that those who have corrupt hearts are turned into monsters, but what you don't know is that the conditions of one's heart determines what kind of monster that one becomes. For example, if one is jealous, then one will turn into a Poe; if one has hatred, then one turns into a Flare Dancer, but those who live with pettiness, greed, and other such lower feelings, then one will turn into a stalchild. But if someone has something that they wish to protect and guard, then they change into a type of Wolfos. But for one to change into a wolf, they must have something that they wish to protect, must be an adventurer, and have something that they love in order to change into a wolf."

"Really? But why can't you just pass on the title to your children?" To this, Rannoch growled angrily.

"Because I am the only wolf on the entire planet," Rannoch growled out. "Any chance of a family that I could've had was gone when I was changed into a wolf. The same was to be true for you." Link's eyes widened as he took a step back from the wolf. "But it isn't, because of Altair, you can be considered a tribreed. You're Hylian by blood, Kokiri by character and choice, and wolf by my premature actions." Rannoch explained.

Link walked towards his table and took a seat. As he sat pondering this news, he thought on all that would change in his life. He was destined to age no matter what, he has doomed his new friend to a mortal life, and he was chosen to become a monster of legend. "_Why? I … doomed Altair to death. It is only by coincidence that I didn't become a complete monster. If I tell Altair and he undoes the bond, I will become a beast_." As Link continued his gloomy thinking, Rannoch stepped in again.

"I know that this is a lot to take in, but in reality, it isn't that bad." Link looked up from the floor that he was staring at to the wolf. "I already told you that Altair won't care if you are mortal; if anything, he would feel that the adventure of being your friend and guide is worth the price of death. And as for you becoming the next wolf king, well, since Altair interfered, you can transform between both your human form as you are now and your wolf form. In essence, you are a shape shifter."

"Oh." Link said with relief. "But how do I transform into my wolf form?"

"That I do not know. But I do suggest being around the Wolfos, seeing how they act and think will probably help shape your mentality from that of a human to that of a wolf."

"I think I understand, but won't it be dangerous for me to be around a Wolfos? And if I leave the forest, how will I come into contact with Wolfos?" Link asked.

Rannoch smiled at this. "If you are still unsure of whether you are going or not, then I think you are crazy." Link sheepishly smiled at this. "But, for the matter of encountering Wolfos, that is rather simple. First of all, you are to be the next Wolf King, so no Wolfos will attack any party member of yours, or any blood of yours." Link nodded at this. "And, for meeting Wolfos on your travels, that is rather easy, you play your ocarina." Link pulled out his ocarina out in confusion until he stared at the golden imprint of the howling wolf. As he stared at the emblem he heard a series of notes that played through his mind. The sound was haunting, like a lone voice calling out all alone, but suddenly more and more sounds joined with the original, until there was a great loud wolf howl that echoed through the night.

Link suddenly jerked himself out of his trance. As he stared panting at his ocarina, he looked towards Rannoch. "That is how you will summon Wolfos. But that tune will only summon forest Wolfos, not an arctic, noble, and especially not an armored Wolfos. But the pack of the forest has accepted you as the next king."

"So, all I have to do is play _Midlights Echo_, and I will be able to summon any amount of Wolfos? Do they appear instantly?" Rannoch's eyebrow lifted at the title of the song, but sighed at the question of summoning.

"The song itself has magic, so when you play it, any Wolfos within hearing range will immediately rush to your side. But if you want or need one instantly, then you must pour some of your magic into the ocarina, and a Wolfos that you have previously have summoned will appear by your side in a flash of light." Link nodded at this.

"We have gone over most of the abilities that you have been given, and the rights which as Wolf King you will have; but now we must speak of the duties you will have." Link gulped at this as he prepared to listen to Rannoch. As he sat there listening, Altair flew in well past midnight, looking haggled and irritated.

When Altair entered the house, he flew towards Link's hat and said goodnight to Link and Rannoch as he drifted off to sleep. Link stared at his fairy wondering if he was too tired to realize what was going on, or if he was just used to this sort of thing.

-Five A.M next morning-

As the village was sleeping deeply, a deadly pair slipped through the village towards Link's house. One seemed to be made entirely of fire that burned from an exposed black heart. The creature which was rarely seen in the forest was a newly born flare dancer. Floating above the living flames' shoulder was a small Poe that carried a lantern of green fire that blazed with envy.

The pair stealthily made their way from the center of the village. Once they reached their destination, the Poe moved around the base of Link's house, placing some flammable oil for the Flare Dancer to light.

The living flame looked up to see the sun starting to peek its way through the branches. Seeing the rapidly approaching morning, it quickly lit the oil around the tree, creating a ring of fire that would slowly burn the entire tree out, leaving absolutely no room for escape.

"I told you to watch yourself." The flame whispered as it and the Poe quickly fled the scene back towards its home in the center of the village.

Saria, who was almost too excited to sleep at the prospect of leaving on a journey with Link, slept very lightly that night, so when the wind brought the smell of smoke to her nostrils, she awoke almost instantaneously. Dressing herself quickly, she ran outside her door to locate the source of the fire.

Looking around, she realized that it was coming from Link's house. Saria, in panic, turned to Kairi who had followed her, floating above her shoulder. "What are we going to do?!"

"We have to get the boys up!" Kairi shouted.

"I know, but with the flames surrounding the house, how are we supposed to get in?" Saria questioned, her mind racing trying to find an answer. As the two were standing outside Link's home, the rest of the community gathered.

Looking around, the green haired girl spotted the pond outside the item shop. Thinking quickly, Saria looked at Kairi, who in a flash of emerald light lost her glow, revealing her true form. She was clothed in an emerald green long coat, with Altair's crest on the back. On the sleeves of the coat ran forest green roses that looked as if they were crawling up the sleeves. Underneath the coat, she wore a simple deep blue shirt with a wave like pattern. Her pants were a pair of dark blue denim jeans. Her long green hair, which went down to her mid back, was tied into a loose ponytail. Once Saria had taken in Kairi's new look, she immediately understood the plan.

Kairi quickly flew towards Saria's shoulder. Once she was settled, the two closed their eyes and started to mutter some ancient magic words. The other Kokiri, feeling the powerful aura of magic flowing from the pair, took a couple of steps back. After thirty seconds of chanting, the two opened their eyes and shouted "Heaven's Blessing!" Immediately, the clouds in the sky started to grow dark and heavy with rain. The clouds, heeding the pair's instructions, began to rain onto the blazing inferno.

As soon as a way opened up for the two to enter the house, they rushed up the brittle ladder and entered the room to find both Link and Altair passed out on the floor. Saria rushed towards Link to see that his face was clouded with soot and smoke, glancing quickly at Altair, only to see that he was in a similar state. Saria noticed that Link had only one shoe on, and had his sword strapped to his back, but had fallen onto his shield. She surmised that the two had awoken to the smell of smoke, and tried to get out, but before they could gather all of their equipment, they had fallen prey to the smoke and passed out.

Both Saria and Kairi sat there in tears, rubbing their boyfriend's back soothingly, trying to help them to regain consciousness. After ten excruciatingly long minutes, Link started to come around.

"What happened?" Link asked in a croak before going off in a coughing fit. Saria smiled down at him as he leaned his head back onto her lap. Link suddenly regained his wits and jumped up onto his feet with an embarrassed blush to his cheeks as he started to finish gathering the rest of his gear.

"Well, our house somehow caught fire." Altair said from his position on Kairi's lap.

"But how? I mean, I turned my lamp off last night and everything." Link pondered for a moment, "Well, maybe there was a thunderstorm sometime after we fell asleep, and some lightning struck the house?" Link asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I doubt it," Altair said, getting up and flying into the air, trying to get his strength back. "I think that someone, either on accident or on purpose, set fire to our house." The others in the room looked at Altair in shock. "Well, whatever happened, we have to get out of here, the fire made the tree extremely brittle and dangerous to be in." The others quickly nodded.

Going to the window, Altair summoned his swords and cut off the window's awning, allowing the group a quick exit. Link stepped up to the window and looked down. Seeing that there was enough room to land, Link quickly vaulted the ledge and landed with a roll to cushion his fall. "LINK!" Saria yelled as she rushed to the window. Seeing that he was safe, she felt immediate relief that quickly faded, as her irritation at him rose for worrying her. Saria followed Link out the window, landing gracefully.

As she rose from her landing, she stalked towards Link. "Uh, hey Saria, why are you looking at me like that?" Link asked in slight fear seeing her angered look. Saria remained silent as she reached Link and whacked him across the head knocking his hat loose to the ground. "Hey! What was that for?" Link asked as he rubbed his head.

"That was for scaring me half to death."

"But I do that kind of stuff all the time."

"But have you ever done something like that after regaining consciousness only minutes before?" Seeing Link's sheepish and downtrodden look, Saria reached out and gave him a hug. "I was worried about you. I woke up and saw your house on fire and, well, I just can't lose you, okay?" Link nodded.

"Well, now may not be the best time, but Link, did you ever decide on whether or not to take on the quest?" Link froze just before he walked out from behind the house and turned to Altair.

"I …"

Kairi seeing Link's situation spoke up, "You know Link, both Saria and myself are going with you guys."

"Really?!" Link asked in a hopeful tone. Saria and Kairi both nodded.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Link shouted as he walked into the front yard where the entire village stood in tense silence, waiting to see what happened.

"Altair," Kairi asked.

"Hmm."

"Did you guys pack any camping gear for the trip?" Kairi took one look at Altair's embarrassed face and flew towards Saria and said, "Well, it's a good thing that we packed enough supplies for all four of us." Saria nodded as she followed Link into the front yard.

Emerging from the back, the group found that Link was being confronted by an irate Mido claiming that not only did Link kill the Great Deku Tree, but he also almost caught the entire forest on fire. "I'm telling you Link, this is the last straw, I hereby, as the boss of the Kokiri, banish you from the village. Either wander the lost woods for an eternity, or leave the forest entirely. It is your choice."

"I'm telling you that I didn't kill the Great Deku Tree. I tried to save him but the curse was too far along."

"So you say, but with no tree and no sage, I am the leader of the forest."

"That's what you think, but the forest sage has already been chosen. It's Navi the fairy." Link retorted.

"Well, until she comes and appears before us, I am the leader of the forest. And I order you banished." The entire populace, which had been watching the argument started to sadly nod in agreement, knowing that the law of the forest could not be broken.

"Come on Altair, let's leave." Altair nodded and flew after Link, who had begun to walk towards the exit of the forest.

Saria, seeing how things were going, dashed to her house and grabbed all of her supplies and rushed off to catch up to Link, who had stood at the village exit.

Link turned back to the crowd who looked on in shock as the two stood at the exit. Link, noticing everyone's shocked face said, "In life, if I cannot serve the forest, then maybe in death I can be of some aid to my home." In the deathly silence that passed, Link reached out and grabbed Saria's hand and walked out of the forest, and into the realm of time and life.

**Well there you have it chapter four is done. I have finally got Link and Saria out of the forest. But now is where the story starts to become my own. The next chapter will probably be a ways off, because of all the projects that my college is throwing out. Oh and it might take awhile for me to respond to your reviews and questions. But when I get the chance I will, I promise. Next chapter the tale of a race is told.**


	5. History

Everyone Dies

Ch 5

**I would like to thank Sword of Protection, Devil Without a Cause, Jarnsaxr, and Princess of Dolphins for their reviews. **

**First of all, I am not dead. College is out and I can finally allow myself to be distracted by fanfiction again. I am sorry that it has taken so long to put this chapter up, but since I have been out of College, I have been distracted by reading others fanfictions and playing Final Fantasy 13.**

**What is important to note is that I am making the Kingdom of Hyrule a **_**whole**_** lot bigger. For example from the Gerudo Desert to Death Mountain is about a four month journey on foot. You might have noticed the fact that I am trying to make this world more realistic.**

**Also I am changing the creation of the land of Hyrule a bit. Think of the creation similar to how the world of the Lord of the Rings was created.**

**Some of the names of the OC's are from other books and shows, because I have problem of coming up with names. But no one can own a name, just the character it belongs to,**

**Now without further ado here is chapter 5 History.**

-Deku Forest 2:00 P.M.-

Once the group passed beyond the Kokiri Forest's boundaries, they moved quickly and silently, in an effort to fool the other Kokiri into believing the myth about leaving the forest.

After walking in silence, consumed in their own thoughts for an hour, the group finally started to discuss the quest that they had started on.

"So, buddy, where are we going exactly?" Link asked Altair.

"That way." Altair said, pointing down the worn and overgrown path that they were walking on.

"We know that." Kairi said. "What he meant was where is the first stop? Do you know where the Kokiri Emerald is? You know, what is the general plan for the quest?"

"Oh, right. Well, if that's what he wanted to know, then he should have asked a little clearer." Kairi stared at Altair for a bit, then she started to chuckle. "Well, I'm glad someone understood the joke." Altair said. Link and Saria looked at each other in confusion.

"Alright, joking aside. We are going to travel to Castle Town, and after that we will be going to visit Hyrule Castle." Altair explained.

"Why are we going there?" Saria asked.

"Yeah. Do you think that the Emerald is at the castle?" Link questioned.

"Okay, people, one question at a time." The two children quickly closed their mouths as they were about to unload more questions on the overwhelmed fairy. "Alright, answering the questions one at a time, we are going to the town and the castle to gather some information. For, you see, the Kokiri Emerald is actually one of three ancient and powerful gems known as the Spiritual Stones, but for the life of me I can't remember where they are. Anyways, they are rumored to have the ability to increase one's magical powers to an unbelievable level. There is also a legend that the gems are keys to the legendary Triforce." At this information, the two children looked confused, having never heard of the legend of the Triforce. "Kairi, would you explain the legend please? I need a little time to think."

"Of course. Alright, listen, you two. According to legend, there were three goddesses that were gifted with the task of filling up the world in which the Creator made. First was the goddess, Din, who shaped the mountains and created both the Goron and Gerudo races. Next was the goddess Nayru, who with her knowledge and wisdom helped to provide order in the world. She was the one to create both the Zora and Hylian race. Now the last goddess, Farore, was the one who filled the world with life and created the Kokiri race along with all other life in the world. Once the goddesses had completed the task that the Creator had assigned to them, they left our realm and headed back to the Creator's realm, known as the Sacred Realm. When they went home, they each left behind a piece of their power. Legend says that whoever touches the Triforce will have whatever wish they desire granted. But the Triforce was sealed and locked away, so that only one that is worthy is able to access the power." Once Kairi finished explaining, the children had a whole new set of questions.

"Alright, so that would explain why the Kokiri Emerald was taken. Whoever took it must be planning on using it to unseal the way to the Triforce. So if we get one of the other keys and keep it safe, then we will win. And the information that we need from the castle is the locations of the other gems." Link deduced.

"Correct." Altair answered. "Now, there is something that you guys must understand. First of all, the trip to Castle town will take about two months. Maybe more, depending on how much training that we do."

"Training?" Link asked.

"Well I did tell you that I would teach you some moves."

"I guess you did."

"And Saria will be working with me on learning more advanced magic. And if it is possible, maybe we can try and teach Link some basic magic as well." Kairi added. The group nodded.

"The biggest problem with the trip is the fact that there are a whole lot of monsters about recently. Especially at night. In fact, at night, there is an unending horde of Stachild that appear. So, I think that we should figure out how to keep ourselves safe during the night. Because I'm telling you now that I will only be travelling at night if it is unavoidable." Link nodded in agreement, while Saria and Kairi whacked Link and Altair across the head, muttering something about lazy boys.

"Well, I think that we could keep watch over the kids while they sleep at night, and during the day we could get some sleep." Kairi suggested.

"We could do that, but if we do, then how are we going to train them?" Altair asked.

"True, but what else are we going to do? You said its two months away. So it's going to be pretty hard for us to keep everyone safe when we are so far away from our destination." Kairi responded.

"Hey guys?" Link asked.

"I guess we could take watches, but I just know that you and Link are going to be impossible to wake up." Kairi continued on discussing the issue of security with Altair.

"Hey Kairi, Link's try-" Saria tried to interrupt the fairy's discussion.

"Hey, we are not that hard to wake up." Altair said, trying to defend Link and himself.

"Oh, come on. You guys would sleep through a storm. Do you remember what I had to do to wake you up yesterday?" Kairi asked, with a smirk after seeing Altair shiver in horror at the trauma that he went through.

Link sighed and pulled out his wolf-enchanted ocarina, catching Saria's eye as he did so. Knowing what he was planning, Saria pulls out her ocarina as well. At once they played a sharp high-pitched note, causing the two fairies to stop flapping their wings and fall to the ground, clutching their ears.

"HEY! What was that for?" The two fairies yelled in unison.

"Well, I have an idea of how we can be safe at night." Link said. The group turned to him, listening out of curiosity. As an answer, he brought his ocarina to his lips and started to play _Midlights Echo_. The sound was haunting, like a lone voice calling out all alone, but suddenly more and more sounds joined with the original, until there were several loud howls echoing through the forest.

"Link, … what was that?" Saria asked.

"What, the song, or the howls?" Saria simply nodded. "Well, the song is called _Midlights Echo_, a song that I learned from a wolf. The howls are the Wolfos that are answering my call." Link explained.

"Your call?" Saria questioned.

"Yeah. You remember the giant pack of Wolfos the other day." Saria and Kairi nodded. "Well, apparently, I am going to be the next Wolf King." Link stopped speaking, as suddenly three packs of forest Wolfos appeared bounding from the brush.

"_You called, my lord._" The largest pack leader acknowledged.

"Yes, I did. You see, me and my friends are going to travel to Hyrule Castle, to search for information about the spiritual stones. Unfortunately, Altair says that there are a lot of monsters out nowadays, especially at night. So I was kind of hoping that you guys would protect us at night from the Stalchildren." Link replied, forgetting that only he and Altair could understand the Wolfos due to their bond.

"_If you were staying near the forest, we would do so without a thought. But the trip to the stone forest is a long one, and we have to take care of our pups._"

"I understand, but I have a solution. You see, I can summon you guys from anywhere in the world now and you will appear instantly. I can call some of you guys at night to help us out and when we wake up I can send you back. And if anyone of you guys wants to hang out with us for a while, I have no problems with that." Link responded. His answer pleased the Wolfos, now knowing that they would be able to protect both their future king and their children.

"_That is acceptable. We will watch over your pack as you travel through the forest. Afterwards, we will follow your plan._" The large leader replied, agreeing to the plan.

"Thanks, I'll call if I need any help." And with that, the packs disappeared into the forest. Five wolves stayed behind to guard the group from the shadows as they traveled through the forest.

"Well, let's keep moving, we have about two hours left until we have to make camp." Link said as he started to continue walking down the trail with Altair flying above him, unknowingly leaving the girls behind as they stared at the boys fading backs in confusion until they suddenly broke out of their trance and chased after him. Once they caught up to him, Saria started to unload various questions upon him, while Kairi questioned Altair as he seemed to know what was going on.

"Link, what was that?" Saria asked Link in a confused but gentle voice.

"The whole Wolfos thing?" Link questioned. Saria nodded. "Well, the song that I played calls all Forest Wolfos in hearing range of the song to me, where at that point I can give them orders, seeing as I am going to be the next Wolf King." Link explained, but seeing Saria's eyes became more and more confused he decided that he might as well tell the whole story. "Alright, guys, I'll tell all that I know about the Wolfos and myself." And so without further ado, Link started to explain everything. "Well, when the massive pack of Wolfos appeared, I was chosen to be the next Wolf King a day early. The Wolf King, Rannoch, had expected me to turn into a monster because he simply did not expect me to get a fairy in time to avoid becoming a monster on my twelfth birthday." Link paused as he heard Altair mutter, 'so it wasn't a dream.' Continuing on, Link began again, "So, as I was already chosen to become the Wolf King, I still have the powers and authority, but I am not a wolf or Wolfos, although I apparently can turn into a wolf, making me part wolf. Rannoch … also told me that I am actually a tribreed. Apparently, I am Hylian by blood, Kokiri by character and choice, and wolf by his premature actions as Rannoch put it." Link said as he finished summarizing, skipping the duties of the Wolf King, knowing that no one would be that interested in them.

Looking at his friends, he took note of their reactions. Saria was the one that probably took it best, she looked shocked, as he knew she would, but he could see understanding in her eyes as well as something that made his heart beat a little faster. Looking at her small fairy that was resting on her shoulder, he noticed she was entirely shocked, as she kept glancing between himself and Altair. Looking to his fairy, he noticed his face did not appear shocked, but rather angry. Link felt nervous about asking his fairy, but he knew that he had to.

"Altair, are you alright? You know about me being a Hylian?" Link asked. Everyone looked to Altair, including the Wolfos that were guarding them. Altair nodded, but he still looked angry. "So, if you're not mad about me being a Hylian, then what are you mad about?" Link questioned.

"My sister." Altair said in a hushed tone. The others looked at him in confusion. "She knew. She knew that you were a Hylian, and she never told me. I distinctly remember her shouting, '_So, what you are saying, is that you are going to bond yourself to a lit-_". I think she almost spilled that you were a Hylian. The Deku tree stopped her from continuing. I don't care that you are Hylian, in fact it is going to make your life a whole lot more interesting." Altair said cryptically. "But when I see her again, again she will wish she wasn't the sage." Altair said with an evil glint to his eyes. Seeing Kairi nervous, he quickly explained that he wouldn't hurt her or anything, just annoy her like she's never been annoyed before.

After Altair had finished explaining his plan to put all the Kokiri children and their fairies to sleep for a week, Saria noticed that it was getting late and that they needed to set up camp, or else they would run into trees. "Hey guys, how about we set up camp for the night?" Saria asked.

"Sure, Saria, that sounds like a plan." Link agreed. Setting down their travelling bags and removing their equipment, they started to make camp. Link went out into the forest to collect some firewood for the campfire and dinner. Altair and Kairi found some stones and together they made the fire pit, while Saria worked on setting up the two tents. After an hour of setting up, everyone sat around the fire waiting for the three Cuccos to finish cooking, one for each of the children and one for the two fairies, because Altair apparently could eat a lot of chicken. After they had finished eating, Kairi suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Altair."

"Hmm."

"I remember in our conversation that you mentioned that you knew what happened to the Kokiri that left the forest. Do you think that you can tell us what you meant?" The green haired fairy asked.

"Hey, wait a minute, since when did he mention this?" Saria questioned her fairy.

"Oh, he mentioned it while you were daydreaming about your future with L-" Kairi started to say when she suddenly found herself in Link's hat being held by Saria. "Saria, let me out!"Kairi shouted.

"Not until you promise not to mention that ever again. Deal?" The green haired girl stated.

"Fine, deal." Kairi sighed. As she was let out of Link's hat, Link quickly snatched it, but not before Saria noticed that his hair looked almost identical to Altair's, the only difference being the fact that Link had straw blonde hair while Altair's was golden-brown.

"Link, why do wear your hat all the time? I mean, there is nothing wrong with your hair. In fact… it looks kind of nice." Saria said with a blush across her cheeks, which wasn't helped by Kairi and Altair's snickers.

Link blushed as well, before he reigned in his embarrassment and answered. "Well, the easiest way to put is that I wore it in an attempt to not be recognized by Mido, seeing as I was the only one that had blonde hair while everyone else besides you had orange hair. But now, I wear it because Altair thinks that it makes a great bed." Link said with a smirk directed at his embarrassed fairy.

"Oh." Saria said, slightly disappointed that she couldn't see his hair all the time. "Well anyway, did you know that if you and Altair were the same species, people would think you two were brothers?" Link nodded.

"Now that we solved the mystery of Link's hair and hat, how about we focus on the main issue? How Altair was going to tell us how he knew that we wouldn't turn into dust." Kairi stated, as the entire group, including the Wolfos, turned their attention on the golden-haired fairy.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you the story." Altair said, as he sat down on the top of Link's hat, which was swiftly removed so that he was able to see the fairy that would be telling the story of the first Kokiri to leave the forest.

"Alright, as you know there was only one Kokiri to leave the forest before you two and his name was Jacen. He and his fairy, Vaan, left the forest about eight hundred years ago. I do not know the precise reason why he left. That was never told to my source. But I do know what happened after he left the forest." Altair told to his enraptured audience.

"In those days, there was war among the races, where everyone had to perform their role and fight in the war. Even children as young as you two were conscripted into the army or into the order of the mages. And, as luck would have it, Jacen was the strongest mage in the world at that time. For you see, Kokiri typically get their magic power from their fairies. But there are some rare Kokiri that are able to perform magic, without the need for a fairy's bond. So, when Jacen left the forest, he immediately got swept up into a battle between the Hylian army and a group of peaceful, forest-dwelling Hylians that were known as the Sheikah clan, who wished to avoid the war. But the King of Hyrule felt that any that did not help fight were traitors to their race. So, in his anger, he sent a force of one hundred knights to kill the Sheikah."

"When Jacen had arrived, the battle was all but finished. The Sheikah were about to be annihilated. Seeing the destruction and the needless slaying done by the knights, Jacen fought on the behalf of the Sheikah, but he was too late. By the time the knights fled, there was but one child left. Her name was Arwen. After the knights left, Jacen helped Arwen to bury the dead. I believe that at that point, Jacen may have sent Vaan to tell the Great Deku Tree to never let anyone exit the forest again, because for an unprepared child to witness war… well, let's just say that one is never the same again. That is why no one was let out of the forest again."

"After seeing the horrors of war, Jacen had decided to end the war, Arwen, needless to say, joined him in the hopes to never let another such atrocity happen again. The two travelled together; she, the last of her once peaceful clan, and him, the first Kokiri to have ever left the forest. They were no older than you two are now when they set off to stop the war. Two children: one, the strongest mage in the world; the other, a unique kind of warrior, against the world. A marvelous story; it's a shame that so few actually know it." Altair said with a sigh.

"Anyway, in short, the two traveled the continent, saving the helpless. In fact, it was these two who united the roaming bands of Hylians against the Hylian Kingdom. Under the two children's guidance, the 'free' Hylians stood up to the Kingdom's knights and soon Hyrule was forced to deal with not only the Gerudos and Gorons, but their own race. With their recruits dwindling by the day, Hyrule was forced into the position of asking for peace, which, after two years of negotiations, peace was reached. But Jacen and Arwen had earned the enmity of the King, because without the two's interference, the war could very well have been theirs to win. And the world would not be as it is today." Altair exclaimed.

The group sat in awe at what the two children were able to accomplish. "But that is not the end of the tale. For you see, over the course of their travels Jacen and Arwen fell in love." Saria quickly glanced at Link, missing his glance at her. "After the war was over, they were about seventeen years old. So, being of marrying age, they became engaged, and after three months they were married, much to the pleasure of the 'free' Hylians that they helped, but much to the displeasure of the Hyrule Kingdom. As one can expect from two married people in love, they had children. Their first born, they named Irene. After that, they had twins, which they named Duo and Joel. But there was something different about the children. For one thing, they had red eyes, whereas both their parents had blue eyes. Also, they were like Kokiri children, in the fact that they had a strong magic flowing through their veins. It is my belief that the union between a Kokiri and a Hylian, somehow led to the creation of a new race, now called the Sheikah. They have great agility and magic powers, and every child born is able to perform magic. Unfortunately, they are dying out."

"About fifty years after Jacen and Arwen died, the fledgling race of about fifty in number came under attack by a group of four hundred 'rogue' Hylian knights. These knights attacked the family's home. They drove the family from their village in Kakiriko, and 'coincidentally' right into the Hylian King. But by that time, only the three youngest were still alive. They begged the King to save them, and the king agreed, but only if they would declare their and their future children's undying loyalty to him and his family. With no choice left, they did as requested and in doing so, they were spared, but they were forever bound to the King's service as long as his line remains alive." Altair paused, as he looked at each of the children and Kairi. "This is a tale that even fewer know about. In fact, only the Royal family of Hyrule and us know the truth behind the Shiekah's 'servitude' to the King. The Shiekah believe that the king saved them, therefore the Hylian King has their loyalty." Altair said with a disgusted tone.

"Well, how did you know about this then, if only the Royal family knew?" Kairi asked.

"Well, that is rather simple, I like to read. Secrets are always interesting reads, and… I easily infiltrate a castle that is on the lookout for soldiers, rather than a fairy." Altair said, with a grin, to which Kairi returned.

"Well, guys that is the end of the tale to this point. The rest is left to you two." Saria and Link looked at each other in confusion.

"I believe that we have enough to think about. I suggest that we turn in for the night." Link said as he stood up and put the fire out. The two children separated to their own tents, eager for the chance to make as much of a difference as Jacen and Arwen did in their time.

**Important note. Altair learned the founding of the Shiekah from the Shiekah, but learned how they became servants from the Kings secret book.**

**I have finally finished my chapter. This may seem to be a filler chapter, but it has a lot of foreshadowing and important information in it for future chapters. Next chapter will include a timeskip and a battle. The seventh chapter is where you will meet the other major players in the story. Hope you enjoy and I am sorry to have kept you waiting. I will attempt to get the next chapter done in two to three weeks. If I go longer, shoot me some messages to hurry up. Also reviews help me write more and faster. Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Burning Village

Everyone Dies

Ch 6

**I would like to thank Sword of Protection, Devil Without a Cause, IrishDragon95, Hellotoday, Oblivion's Right Hand, Som Skxawng for their reviews. As well as all the people who have favorite my story.**

**I want to apologize for how long it has taken me to post this chapter, but in my defense I have an easily distracted mind. I also have started to write another story, so that has compounded my distractedness. Anyway here is my latest chapter hope you enjoy.**

**Most of this chapter will be told in flashback.**

**Note that I am changing the name of the Hyrule Fields to the Hyrule Plains, for the simple fact that if it takes two months to cross then it is not going to be called a simple field.**

**I have a better way of doing author notes now. I put a number surrounded by parenthesis and I explain what it means at the end of the chapter. Less interruption of the story, yet still provides clarification.**

**Oh and I do not own Legend of Zelda or Zoids. Otherwise, I would have come up with a different villain, instead of reusing Ganondorf for nearly every game.**

**I do not own Legend of Zelda or Zoids.**

**-**Reynard Village, 4:00 A.M, A month later-

Link was on his knees, sitting in the ash that fluttered across the village; staring lifelessly at his hands that were soaked in blood. And it wasn't the blue or green blood of monsters, but the thick red blood that only comes from humanoids. As Link lifted his eyes, he saw the bloody torn body of a Gerudo elite soldier; (1) his armor completely shredded by the claws that Link briefly had. Saria was curled into a ball, sobbing, for those that died and those that she herself had to kill. But the one who took this tragedy the worst was Brad; his home burned, his tribe dead. Brad simply stood amongst the ash, holding a black fox, staring at the fires that ate at the tents that were once his village. Naomi stood next to him, attempting to give him some comfort.

Link's eyes finally tore themselves away from the dead soldier and drifted to the sky to see a green haired fairy flying all over the burned village in a frantic search for the other member of their party, who had vanished in a flash of magic that had originated from the last enemy that Link killed. "_How could things go wrong so fast?_" Link questioned himself.

-Hyrule Plain, Day Before-

The group was stirring slowly awake after a hard session of training from both Altair and Kairi in both weapons and magic. At least the two girls were; the boys were fast asleep, and would probably sleep till noon if not for them.

"You know, it was probably one of Altair's smartest decisions to have asked us to come along." Kairi said groggily, as she looked towards the two boys, who showed no sign of stirring.

"Yeah, if the world depended on these two, then by the time they woke up, the world would have pretty much come to an end." Saria agreed as she giggled. Once she had finished waking up, she slipped out of the tent that they had to share, thanks to one of Link's unfortunate magic lessons in which he accidently set fire to his and Altair's tent. It was only one of several unfortunate accidents in Link's attempting magic; apparently his grasp of magic was no greater than Altair's.

Saria walked towards the fire pit to start cooking some breakfast. As she looked through her pack for some food, she noticed that their stocks of food were nearly empty. "_Better point this out to the guys after breakfast,"_ she thought as she found the last of their food and decided that it was best to make a large breakfast and either get to a town, or hunt for the day.

Kairi sat on Saria's shoulder and waited for the breakfast to finish. As she sat waiting for the breakfast to finish cooking, she thought about the training that they had undergone.

-_Flashback_-

_Link and Saria were off to the side, where Saria attempted to teach her friend how to use magic. But progress was slow; his attempts to channel 'pure' magic without a medium seemed to be exercises of futility, but he had to at least grasp the basic concepts before he could start channeling magic through his sword like Altair. _

_However, Kairi, with Altair, was attempting to increase her endurance. Apparently she needed a lot more endurance before she could live full time without having her aura up. _

"_Alright, so what's next?" Kairi asked in near exhaustion after flying around the entire camp five times. _

"_Well, first of all, I think you should have your aura off all the time. Even when you are tired and just want to float, keep it off; if you can't fly then ride on Saria's shoulder. The more time you spend like this, the faster you will adapt." Altair told his girlfriend. _

"_Easy for you to say, you're used to this." Kairi rebutted. _

"_That doesn't mean that I didn't go through the same thing." Altair replied. "Besides you do know that this is the same way that enables the Great Fairy's to perform their stronger magic."_

"_Whoa, really?" Kairi asked in excitement. Altair nodded. "Well if that's the case, then tell me what to do next."_

"_Alright. You should do some aerobics." Altair replied, while Kairi simply stared back at him. Altair continued on explaining the aerobics that would help increase her stamina, but Kairi was only half paying attention. "And once you can do all that we will start sparring."_

"_Wait I don't have any weapons." Kairi replied. _

"_I know, but by the time you are acclimated and have enough endurance we should have enough ore to make you some weapons. Oh, and what kind of weapons would you like?" Altair asked._

"_Hmm, I think I would like a pair of knives. Do you think that you could teach me that weapon extending trick though?" _

"_Yeah, I must admit that it will be nice to teach you a piece of magic for a change." The gold fairy replied. _

"_Yeah yeah, but I'm sure that I'll pick up on this kind of magic a lot faster than you ever did." The emerald fairy smirked._

"_Probably, but before you even get the chance to learn that kind of magic; you can start doing your aerobics." Altair said. Kairi groaned, annoyed at the fact that he wasn't distracted and remembered the exercise plan. _

-Present time-

"Hey Kairi, do you think that you can go and wake up the boys?" Saria asked her friend, snapping her out of her musings.

"Sure, but only because you cooked breakfast." Kairi replied as she flew to the tent. Hovering above Altair, she thought of how to wake him up. Coming upon the quickest and easiest way, she called some water with her magic and unceremoniously dumped the water on her boyfriend.

"Ahhh!" Altair yelled as he was soaked through. Link started to stir through a combination of both the water and Altair's yell.

"What arrrrrrre you two doing?" Link yawned. Kairi looked at Altair sheepishly, while Altair looked at her sharply, clearly irritated by his rude awakening. Not getting anywhere with that, he tried another tactic. "So is breakfast ready?" Link asked sleepily. Kairi nodded, and flew out of the tent followed closely by a drenched Altair.

"Altair, would you like to warm up by the fire?" Saria asked seeing his soaked state. The small blade master simply nodded as he hovered closer to the fire, warming himself and drying his clothes.

Link came out of the tent and grabbed one of the plates of food. He sat by Saria, who was already eating. "Hey guys, we have a little problem." Saria said, immediately grabbing their attention. "It seems we're out of food." Saria proclaimed.

"Well that will set us back a ways, but we can always take some time out and go hunting." Link said.

"Yeah we could, but I think that it would be better if we found a town and bought some supplies. Maybe we can even get another tent." Saria said.

"Well yeah, but didn't Altair say that there weren't a lot of towns on the Hyrule Plain? And besides I don't think that we have enough to pay for a month's provisions. Despite the fact that we have been fighting monsters for a month and grabbing the loot that they carry, our wallets can only hold about ninety-nine rupees each and I doubt that would be enough to last us to Hyrule." Link commented glumly. Saria sighed in disappointment, knowing that it would take that much longer to reach Hyrule.

"Uh guys." Kairi said getting Link and Saria's attention. "You do know that we carry about three hundred rupees on us right?" She questioned.

"Really?" Link asked his fairy.

"Yeah. Our wallets carry three hundred rupees. Our wallet works similar to your item bag. It is laced with magic that shrinks and stores a certain amount of rupees. The amount depends on the level of spell that is cast on said object. Your item bag has the highest grade storage spell I have ever seen, it can hold a lot, but I wouldn't recommend you use it as a wallet." (2) Altair explained. Saria stared at him in complete shock. Altair noticed the look and shrugged. "I understand magical theory quite well, I just have a lot of trouble performing a lot of magic." He replied to her silent question.

"Okay, so we have enough money now, but the question remains. Is there a town where we can restock nearby?" Link asked his fairy.

Altair, now finally dry from Kairi's awakening, flew up to Link's shoulder and thought. "Well, there is Lon Lon Ranch, but that is two weeks away by foot. Unfortunately there are not a lot of towns in this area."

"Why's that?" Kairi asked.

"Well if I remember correctly, this area of the plain belongs to one of the Hylian tribes that are free from the King's control. So naturally, towns are devoid of this area." The golden fairy replied.

"So doesn't this tribe have a village that we could restock on supplies?" Kairi asked.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that." Altair said as he jolted upright and flew off Link's shoulder. "Now that the plan is decided, all that is left is for you two to pack up. Then we get to visit the village." Altair exclaimed earning glares from the two children, irritated at the fact that they had to do all the packing and setting up camp.

Once they were all packed, the group followed the little gold fairy as he flew ahead of them leading the way. Kairi, deciding to satisfy her curiosity about this Hylian tribe, caught up to her boyfriend leaving the children behind.

"So, Saria, what do you think of the outside world?" Link asked his friend.

"Well, to be honest, it is a whole lot bigger than the forest ever was. I mean I would never have thought that the world would be so big."Saria said with a big smile, as she walked after the fairies, beaming in joy. Link shook his head and smiled as she grabbed his hand. "So Link, when do you think that you will be able to transform? I mean we have been hanging out with the Wolfos for an entire month now." Saria asked.

Link paused to think. "Well, I haven't told you yet but I found out recently that I have been able to communicate with the Wolfos with my mind. So I think that I might be getting close. But I think that there is something more to transforming than just spending time with the Wolfos. … I think that I need to find something to protect." Link replied.

"What do you mean by 'something to protect'?" The green haired girl asked.

"Well, while I was talking to Perrin, one of the Wolfos that I always call upon, he was telling me that Wolfos are different than other monsters. For one thing, they do not kill needlessly. They kill only what they need to survive. He also told me that Wolfos were originally wolves, but they were transformed by a wizard long ago, leaving them as they are now. They were meant to be like the other monsters that we have encountered, vicious mindless killing machines. But instead they became guardians. Perrin says that it is by being a guardian that they are able to remain sane and live a semi normal life." Link replied.

"So what you're saying is that you need to find something that you want to protect with all your heart, allowing you to be sane when you transform into a wolf, otherwise you would become a mindless monster?" She asked.

"More or less, but you see, whatever it is I have to be willing to give everything for. Perrin says that a Wolfos, will fight till the very last drop of blood is drained from their bodies, for it is a lesser pain to die than to lose that which you guard." Link replied.

"Well, I'm sure that you will find that special … whatever to protect, just be patient. Now let's catch up to Kairi and Altair." Saria said as she picked up her pace pulling Link along with her.

After walking for a couple of miles, the group finally crested a hill, and saw the village. "So this is the Reynard village?" Kairi questioned. The village was made up of about twenty wooden houses and shops, while around the village lay at least fifty tents.(3) Altair nodded.

"Well what are we standing around here, lets hurry up and g-" Link started to say before he heard a strange clopping sound.(4) Turning around the group saw a girl no older than fourteen with red hair spiking out at base of her neck, with light purple eyes who seemed to be about 5'4, riding a dappled grey horse. She was dressed in an orange and red top, with red pants. Across her back lay a bow, and at her hip sat a quiver of arrows. Behind her saddle sat a package wrapped in cloth. As the girl rode up the hill, she stopped by the group.

"Who are you two? Are you here for the festival?" The girl asked in a strange accent that the group had never heard before. (5)

"Well, I'm Link, and this is my fairy Altair." Link said pointing to the gold haired fairy flying above him. "And this is Saria and Kairi." Link said as he pointed to the green haired duo. "And we're here to get some supplies. What about you?"

"Me? Well my name is Naomi Fluegel. And I am here for two reasons; the main one is that this place is on my delivery route. You see, my uncle owns Lon Lon Ranch, and I work there as a delivery girl. And the Reynard tribe happens to be one of our best customers, so I come out here at least twice a month, sometimes even more." Naomi replied. Link nodded, but the girls were still suspicious.

"So, you said that you were out here for two reasons. What is the other one, and could you tell us about the festival?" Saria sweetly asked.

Naomi seemed to be a little embarrassed at the question. "Well, the other reason is that I am here to see my boyfriend." She said with a blush on her cheeks causing Altair and Kairi to snicker. "Anyway the festival is something that happens once a year, in celebration of the day that the tribe gained their freedom from the Hyrule Kingdom. At least, that is what Brad tells me. He works at the shop in the village."

"Sounds like these guys really like their independence." Link stated. Everyone nodded at that.

"So, how about I show you to the store so you can buy your supplies?" Naomi suggested as she nudged her horse on towards the village. The group quickly followed her, walking alongside the horse. As they walked through the tents, Link and Saria instantly noticed a lot of adults walking around piling up wood and bringing out big barrels that, from the sloshing sound that they made, seemed to be filled with some kind of liquid. They quickly entered the village area itself and soon found themselves standing in front of a shop called "Plain's Bounty". After Naomi hitched her horse and grabbed the bottles of milk from her saddle, she led the group into the store. "HEY BRAD! I got your milk and some customers here for you." Naomi shouted. They heard a distinct thump from upstairs before they heard some movement.

"Jeez, Naomi, did you have to be so loud? I was sleeping." A boy of about fourteen with long bushy brown hair, and ice blue eyes, of about 5'2 walked down the stairs wearing a black shirt, with a long blue and grey coat that came to the top of his knees. Around his neck he wore a red crystal necklace, with feathers surrounding the gem. He also was wearing black cargo pants and black boots. All in all, Altair definitely approved of his outfit.

"You were sleeping till three in the afternoon? That I don't believe." Naomi replied.

"Well you would too, if you had to go through the trials like I did last night." Brad replied. Naomi looked at him in shock.

"Hey what kind of trials are you guys talking about?" Link questioned, curiosity clearly written all over his face.

"Rite of passage trials." Brad smoothly replied.

"So, did anything interesting happen that you can tell us?" Naomi asked, knowing that the trials were considered sacred and private to the tribe.

"Well, there was one thing that has never happened before." Brad replied. "Before the trial was over I stumbled upon a black fox kit with golden paws. I've never seen anything like it before. And the strangest thing is that he is completely tame around me, but not so much with everyone else around here." Brad replied.

"Can I see him?" Naomi asked. Brad nodded as he went back upstairs and grabbed the little fox. As soon as Brad returned, Naomi and Saria instantly awed at the little fox that was sleeping in Brad's arms. The little animal wearily opened his eyes as he felt Naomi petting him gently across his back. Brad, seeing that his fox was actually calm, handed him over to his girlfriend. "So Brad, what's his name?" Naomi asked, as she continued to pet the fox in her arms, unknowingly putting it back to sleep.

"I was thinking, 'Wraith'." Brad replied, before he finally turned his attention to the customers. "So what do you guys need?" Brad questioned the group.

Link stepped up to the counter and pulled out a list of the stuff that they needed. "Well, now that you are finally done talking with your girlfriend let's get started." Link said earning a blush from Brad and Naomi. "Alright we need a tent, knives, a bottle of oil, enough food to last for a month and a half, five new water skins, seven empty bottles, and if you have a spell book we will take that too." Link finished.

"All right the tent alone is worth eighty rupees; knives depend on the type and quality so you can go over and check out the knife case for the knives." Brad said, pointing to a glass display case over in the corner, to which Saria and Kairi eagerly checked out. "The bottle of oil will cost forty rupees; the bottles come to about thirty rupees a piece. The water skins will cost about twenty five rupees a piece. We do have a spell book, but unfortunately it is not for sale. So that comes to a total of four hundred and fifty five rupees. And that is not counting the knives and the food." Brad replied, tallying the total up in his head.

Link and Altair were getting seriously nervous, knowing that they might not have enough to buy everything. When Saria and Kairi came up to the counter with three long battle knives, they knew that they were in trouble. Brad took a look at the knives and added it mentally to their total. "Alright, each of those knives is worth one hundred rupees, so that brings your total to seven hundred and fifty five rupees." Altair and Link quickly dragged Saria and Kairi away from the counter.

"Saria, do you think that you could pick some less expensive knives, because we still have to buy food, and I think that will take a lot of money." Link explained.

"I don't think so; Kairi said that these knives are actually made to channel magic, which would be perfect for us." Saria explained and starred at him, clearly determined to get the knives.

Link sighed as he realized that Saria had entered into what he called her stubborn mode. And as much as he hated to deny her something that she wanted, he knew that they need the extra money for food. "I can understand why you need a knife, by why would you need three? I mean, those knives are almost three times the size of Kairi, there is absolutely no way that she could ever use one." Link argued.

"Well it's pretty simple really; we would shrink the knives, thus allowing her to use them, much in the same way that Altair uses his swords." Saria explained.

"Kairi, I thought that I told you that I would make you some knives when you had completely acclimated yourself to living without your aura." Altair interrupted. The group all looked at the green fairy and waited for the answer, knowing that this would decide the argument.

"Well yeah, but I wanted to get a head start on my weapon training." Kairi reasoned.

Hearing this Link quickly came to a decision. "If that is the case, then I think that you will just have to make do without the knives until Altair makes you a pair. If we didn't need the extra money for food, then we would get you the knives." Kairi sighed in defeat, but slowly nodded.

As the group broke up form their discussion, Saria walked back to the knife stand to return the dual knives that her fairy wanted. Once Saria had joined her friends at the counter, they got down to discussing the price for food.

"Alright, you guys said that you need food for a month and a half, right?" Brad asked. The group nodded. "Well then, tell me how you would like to be eating for the next month and a half?"

Saria quickly interjected, before the boys could go off and spend their money entirely on cuccos. "Well we are going to be walking all the way to Hyrule Castle so we are going to need both healthy and filling food. _Some cuccos _would be nice, but we will also need lots of vegetables, fruits, dried meats, and bread." Saria replied, only to notice that Brad was sitting deep in thought, and Naomi was looking at him worriedly.

Brad was sitting in his chair looking at the children with a calculating look in his eye. "You know, I never asked you your names."

The group shrugged, and Kairi flew forward. "My name is Kairi; the gold fairy is my boyfriend, Altair. This is my charge Saria, and Altair's charge Link." Kairi said pointing to each individual named.

"So why are you guys travelling to Hyrule Castle? I mean shouldn't you guys be with your parents, or something?" Brad asked with a casual tone.

Link spoke up, seeing as Altair was currently looking at the fox with a calculating look. "We are travelling to Hyrule to look for answers, as to where the spiritual stones are located. For you see, someone stole the spiritual stone of the forest, otherwise known as the Kokiri Emerald, from the Great Deku Tree, and I was sent to retrieve the Emerald and return it, but Saria and Kairi decided to follow me. Not knowing the location of the Emerald, we have decided to take the other stones, from their traditional places, and hide them elsewhere, in an effort to keep them from the one that is collecting the gems. And as for travelling with our parents; well I have no idea who they are, and Saria is a child of the forest. Kokiri are born out of the Creator's blessing in Farore's forest, they are created from time to time by his will." Link explained, repeating what Kairi and Altiar had explained to him about how the Creator brings new Kokiri into being.

Brad and Naomi looked at Link and Saria in shock as they listened to Link's short explanation. At first, they thought that it was some kind of joke, but seeing the children's faces straight and serious, they had to face the truth, standing in front of them were two impossibilities. "Well I have to say that is some tale." Naomi said as she suddenly looked at the two children differently. Turning to Brad she said, "I guess that you have no reason to be suspicious of them anymore." Naomi stated.

Brad shook his head and turned to the group. "I am sorry about the suspicion; it's just that my parents were killed by the Hyrule Kingdom." Naomi set Wraith down on the counter and walked towards Brad, wrapping him in a hug. "They were trading in Castle Town about eight years ago, when a dispute broke out between them and some Hylian merchants. Apparently one of the civilians rushed off to find the Hylian Knights to settle the dispute. But when the knights arrived and heard the dispute, they immediately declared my parents in the wrong. So they arrested them and placed them in jail. They appealed to the king and were brought forth; the King listened to their tale and believed them. So they were set free, but when they attempted to head back home they were escorted out of the city and once they were out of sight of the city… they were killed by the knights." Brad laughed bitterly as he thought about his parents' death. "I only know this because one of our tribesmen was also heading to the castle market when he saw the knights riding off leaving their bodies lying on the ground, trampled, and butchered. The king may appear to listen to both sides, but he always has his own people's interest at heart, and he never forgets those that opposed him." As he finished, Saria and Link stood in shock hardly able to believe that anyone would kill simply because of some deed done over a thousand years ago.

After a few minutes of drowning in his memories, Brad looked up at the children and told them, "A piece of advice. Keep your wits about you when you reach Castle Town." The group all nodded. "Now I think that I can get you all that you need, I can get you the food for two hundred rupees, but to do so, I'm going to need a favor."

Link looked to Saria and Kairi for their answer, and they clearly agreed that this would be a good idea. As Link turned to ask Altair what he thought he noticed that he and the fox were staring at each other intently. "Hey Altair, do you think that we should take the deal?" Link asked his fairy companion.

Altair, not even looking at Link asked, "What is the deal?"

"Well we get the food for two hundred rupees, but Brad wants a favor."

"Ask what the favor is, you don't want to promise something that you can't or won't do." Altair responded. Link and the others in the room nodded taking this advice to heart as it would serve them well in the future.

Link turned to face Brad. "First tell us the favor, and then we will decide." Link said.

"The favor is simple enough; I want you, your girlfriend, and the fairies to watch the shop tonight, while I take Naomi out to the festival tonight." Brad replied. Everyone turned to look at Naomi who had taken a seat next to Brad, leaving her hand in his.

"Sounds fair." Kairi replied, as both Saria and Link were too busy blushing to say anything, and Altair was still staring at Wraith. Brad and Naomi smiled as they walked from behind the counter and started to explain what they would be doing as they watched the shop.

Once Brad had explained everything, he offered his arm to Naomi, which she took. As they were walking out of the shop, Wraith leapt from the counter and landed on Brad's shoulder, causing the pair to stumble in surprise. Once they had regained their balance, they headed out, accepting the fact that Wraith wanted to be in their company.

-10:00 P.M. That Night-

When Brad and Naomi had returned from their date at the festival, they found the shop closed and the children and fairies seated around the fire. Link and Saria sat close together, reading a book on magic that she had brought with her from the forest. Altair and Kairi were sitting upon a shelf and discussing something in the fairy tongue. As soon as the door closed, everyone's attention was on the pair.

"So, how was your date?" Saria casually asked.

"It went very well, we played some of the games that were set up, he took me dancing, and at the feast we had cuccos, ham, and apple juice. We left about thirty minutes ago, because the tribe started to bring out the ale and wine. And I have to head back to the ranch tomorrow." Naomi explained. Link and Altair nodded while Saria and Kairi exchanged glances.

"Sounds like fun. But why did it take you guys half an hour to get back?" Kairi innocently asked.

"Well we kind of got lost in the crowds and the tents." Naomi explained, with a blush appearing on both her and Brad's faces. Link and Altair now shared knowing glances with Saria and Kairi.

"Well how about we get you kids some beds ready." Brad said as he noticed that both Saria and Link were tired, and Wraith had already fallen asleep across his shoulders. Link and Saria eagerly nodded, at the prospect of sleeping in a real bed, instead of on the ground.

-2:00 A.M. Just Outside Reynard Village-

In the middle of the night, a small group of about twenty heavily armed men and women rode up on black horses, nineteen of which were dressed in heavy silver and iron armor, while one, who appeared to be the leader wore a heavier set of gold and bronze armor. On the chest plate of everyone's armor sat the twin drops circling each other, emblazoned in red, the symbol of the Gerudo elite guard.

In silence, the group moved towards the village that slept in a drunken slumber, loosening their axes as they rode into the village. Once the Gerudo guard reached the line of tents, they slowly clambered off their horses and grabbed a lantern and two bottles of oil from their saddle bags.

The only warning that the villagers had was the sound of breaking glass that happened to rouse a few villagers and everyone that was in Brad's house. Once all of the oil had been dispersed, the Gerudo in gold and bronze armor, with a spear strapped to its back stepped forward and raised its hands to the sky, launching a giant barrage of fire towards every tent and every drop of oil.

Whoever wasn't woken by the glass shattering was soon awakened by the roaring of flames, and the cries of agony.

-Plain's Bounty-

As soon as Brad heard the glass shattering on his roof, he knew something was up. So he quickly got dressed and headed downstairs where everyone in his house had started to gather. Once he reached the shop level, he noticed that it was Link, Altair, Wraith, and himself all there, as the girls could be heard still getting dressed.

Acting rather than talking, Link ran up to get the girls while Brad ran toward his knife case and started to load the knives into his sleeves, boots, pockets, and various other places on his body and his clothes, as Link, Saria, Kairi, and Naomi came down the stairs all with their weapons at the ready. In a rush, the group quickly left the rapidly burning shop.

Once they exited the building, they heard the sounds of a clash going on towards the western edge of town. Acting quickly they rushed towards the battle. That is until they heard a loud clomping sound and the rattling of heavy armor. Looking back the group noticed five figures walking slowly towards them, four in what seemed to be iron armor, while at the front was a figure in gold, with a spear sticking above its shoulder.

"Uh, Altair, what are they exactly?" Link questioned in a slightly nervous tone.

"Those are Iron Knuckles."

"But the Iron Knuckles don't leave the desert; they are always guarding the Gerudo valley and the Spirit Temple." Kairi argued.

"These aren't monsters. The Iron Knuckles are the Gerudo Elite Guard, the best of the best. And that guard has expanded recently with the joining of some Hylian tribes with the Gerudo tribe." Brad interrupted, as he recalled when his village was approached and offered to join with the Gerudo tribe, for mutual benefit.

"So how do we take them out?" Naomi questioned. "Because I seriously doubt that my arrows are going to do much good against that armor."

"We need to cut the straps that are keeping the armor up; if we do that then they become open to attack." Altair said.

The group nodded and prepared themselves. Naomi ran to a water tower that stood untouched by the flames. Brad pulled out two knives from his sleeves; the left knife glowing a faint gold. Wraith stood by Brad, growling and snarling, with his claws also glowing gold. Altair had summoned both of his swords and had already increased their length with light. Kairi hovered next to Altair, her hands shining with a green light as she prepared her magic.

Link reached into his item bag and pulled out two smooth stones. Moving quickly, he unwrapped the magic web war-sling from around his waist and placed a stone in it. "Hey Saria, I need you to keep me safe while I use my slingshot." Saria nodded and drew her new knife from her belt, her hands now shining a bright emerald green.

The golden clad Knuckle dispersed its troops, sending one after Naomi. He sent three others to march on the rest of the group, while he and his lieutenant hung back. The group of three Knuckles split to attack the children, with two going for Link and Saria, and one for Brad.

Hearing their orders, the Gerudos nodded before turning to the children and started to rush them at a sprint. Saria squeaked in shock at the ferociousness, but quickly set her courage and started to cast ice spells on the ground to slow the Gerudos down. Kairi in turn started to cast blasts of magic aimed at their legs. All of this did nothing to help as the weight of their armor allowed them to crush the ice as they ran, and their forward momentum was too much for Kairi's magic blasts. As they neared within seventy feet, the spells slowed as Kairi and Saria moved in front of Link and Altair. The two girls muttered under their breath hurriedly as the two giants approached them. When the Knuckles were within forty feet of Saria and Kairi, they shouted in unison, calling forth a bright emerald flash of light. The light shined out from them, temporarily blinding the rushing Gerudos. The Gerudos immediately stopped as they dropped their axes to clutch their eyes. Seconds later, a loud CRACK was heard as Link's stone bullet went through one of the stumbling Gerudo's armored head. The golden clad Knuckle turned its attention to the fight after seeing one of its soldier's go down.

In a rage at the loss of one of his comrades, the other Iron Knuckle picked up his axe and charged at Link. Link quickly wrapped his sling around his waist and drew his sword, but left his shield on his back, knowing that it would do little good against the giants axe. Altair flew ahead of Link at the giant, aiming for the straps on the giants left arm. As Link and Altair charged at the Gerudo, Saria and Kairi moved to help Naomi with the Iron Knuckle that was attacking her.

Link rushed at the Gerudo elite; as he closed with the man, he noticed the armor surrounding his upper left arm was loose, and the man had his axe hoisted above his right shoulder, ready to slice him in half. Reacting faster than he had ever acted before, Link rolled under the man's slash causing the giant to miss and bury his axe into the ground. Completing his roll, Link took a running lead and slashed at the man's loosely armored left arm. His sword slashed off the remaining armor on the shoulder. As Link fell from his leap, the man released his axe and grabbing Link by the shirt, threw him across the street with immense strength through a glass window.

Link quickly lifted himself from the glass and looked to where Brad and Wraith were fighting. He noticed that Brad now had both knives glowing, as he ducked and dodged the giant's powerful slashes. Wraith was darting around the Knuckle's feet, biting and slashing at his lower armor. Looking over at Saria's fight, he saw that she and Kairi were blasting the Knuckle's armor off with their magic, while Naomi was shooting at every bit of unarmored skin that she saw.

Turning his attention back to his fight, Link noticed that while the Knuckle had recovered his axe, he was holding his left shoulder where Altair had stabbed one of his swords. Link, deciding to take advantage of the moment, dashed towards the Knuckle who had turned to face Link. The Knuckle hefted his axe using his right arm, allowing the left arm to guide it and charged at Link. As the Knuckle neared, he slashed with his axe horizontally out at Link. Link, seeing the strike coming, quickly preformed a helm splitter, leaping over the slash and slashing the giant's helmet clean off of his head. The Knuckle, sensing Link behind him, let his swing carry him around to strike at Link's back. The slash came upon Link as soon as he hit the ground and caught him square in the back, nearly slicing through his shield. Link fell into a roll to gain some distance from the Knuckle.

Altair, deciding that it was time to cripple the Knuckle, broke off on his attack of the armor's straps, and flew down and stabbed his swords into the Knuckles right forearm through the iron armor. Pumping his magic to his blades, Altair dragged his swords down his arm, slicing tendons and muscle in both hand and arm. As he flew off, the man in the armor roared in pain and dropped his axe.

Link, seizing the opportunity, rushed forward and leaped up, bringing his sword on the man's unarmored head, splitting his skull. As the light left his eyes, the once fierce warrior fell forward, nearly crushing Link. Scrambling quickly for his sword, Link, with difficulty, removed his sword, now red with his enemy's blood.

Finished with his enemy, Link turned to look at his friends to see if they needed his help. Saria, Kairi, and Naomi were peppering their enemy from all sides, ganging up on him, allowing him no room and time to mount an attack. His body seemed to be a pincushion, filled with at least seven arrows, when at last Saria blasted the Knuckle with a green bolt of lightning that sent the Knuckle down.

Brad and his fox Wraith were dancing inside of the Knuckles guard, slashing at his armor straps. The Knuckle finally had enough and dropped his axe, backhanding Brad across the face, sending him flying down the road, dropping his knives as he skidded across the ground. The Knuckle then kicked Wraith away. Looking down at his armor, he noticed that there were deep gouges in the iron. As he turned his attention back to Brad, he noticed the youth picking himself up. Brad stood up slowly, trying to clear his throbbing head. Once he was upright, he quickly pulled out a knife from his left sleeve. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the knife; it quickly started to glow a distinct gold. The Iron Knuckle, annoyed and irritated at his opponent, drew a heavy short sword from the back of his waist, and charged Brad. Snapping open his eyes, Brad quickly calculated the distance and threw his knife at the armored chest of the charging giant. The knife flew at the giant, leaving a golden streak through the air as it closed with the Knuckle, until the blade passed through the Knuckle and into a burning house. The knuckle stumbled to a heap at Brad's feet.

In a quick, fluid motion, Brad drew another knife and pulled the giant's helmet off and put the knife to his throat. Brad paused as he looked at the man who helped to burn his village and kill his people. The dying man raised his eyes and Brad saw a look not of hatred, but one of pleading. Brad nodded.

Link turned to face the golden clad Gerudo. As he stared at him, he noted that the Gerudo had dropped its axe and had removed the spear from its back, which Link quickly noted was not made of wood and iron, but instead was entirely made of iron. Link turned to look at Altair for guidance. Altair motioned with his hand to hold back and wait for the others.

But the Gerudo had other plans, raising its spear, it pointed at Link and his fairy, and from the tip emerged a ball of fire, which began racing towards them. Link quickly rolled to one side and Altair to the other. Righting themselves, they moved to charge the Golden Knuckle, only for Link to trip over a stone ledge that the Knuckle called forth. Altair turned toward Link, only to see a fireball racing toward him. Putting on the speed, Altair intercepted the flame and deflected the fireball back at the golden giant. Link quickly picked himself up, and reached into his bag, pulling out a Deku Nut. Link raced toward the Knuckle, with Altair keeping pace above him.

Once they neared the Knuckle, Link threw the Nut at the giant's feet briefly blinding and stunning him. Link rolled between his legs and started to hack away at his rear armor. Altair flew to his right arm and attempted to slice through the armor and flesh, only for his swords to not make any dent in the armor. Altair, shrugging the matter off, moved to slice his shoulder armor off.

As soon as the Knuckle lost its sight, it started to flood its body with magic, building it up into a virtual wall that surrounded its body, strengthening its armor against the fairy's swords. Once the stun effect had worn off, it blasted the magic surrounding its body and armor sending Link and Altair flying headlong into a burning building.

Turning to the building, determined to finish the job now, the Knuckle suddenly turned as it felt a knife dig into its weakened shoulder armor. The Knuckle quickly jumped back and swung its spear in a slash at Wraith. The black fox quickly darted back from the slash as Brad neared. Brad reached down and pulled out two knives from his boots, and as he straightened the knives were glowing gold. Brad quickly rushed at the Gerudo, with Wraith circling from behind.

Brad raised both knives to block an overhead swing from the Gerudo, bending from the pressure that the golden clad enemy was placing on its spear. Brad simply held his place, as he felt his knives slowly cut through the metal of the spear. With his attention occupied by Brad, Wraith jumped onto the back of the Gerudo's calf and started to rip apart the armor there. Realizing his situation, the Gerudo summoned its magic again and coated both armor and weapon in flame causing Wraith to leap off in pain, and Brad to stumble back in shock. The Knuckle spun its damaged spear and whacked Wraith across the ribs with the butt of the spear.

Brad got to his feet and charged the giant, slashing both high and low, aiming for the shoulder and leg of the bronze juggernaut. The knives slashed through the armor cleaving it in two, but the blades lacked the reach that his original knives had, causing him to miss damaging the enemy. The Knuckle quickly grabbed the blue clad boy and slugged him in the gut, and followed it up with a kick, sending Brad skidding, ending up right next to his fox.

As the knuckle turned back to the building Link and Altair were lying in, it noticed that the boy and the golden fairy had been moved from the flames and were now lying in the middle of the road, where it noticed the green haired girl and the green fairy tending to their wounds. But before he could take a step, the Gerudo gave a cry of pain as it felt a burning hot arrow pierce its flesh at the calf. Stumbling, the Golden Knuckle turned around to see the red haired girl.

Naomi took an arrow from her quiver and charged her arrowhead with fire, just like Brad had taught her. Taking aim, she noticed the slashes that Brad had made, and aimed her shot for the Gerudo's shoulder. But before she could release her arrow, she had to jump out of the way of a fireball. Not letting up, the metal giant continued to fire away at the red haired teen, driving her back to the stone ledge that it had summoned earlier. Naomi running from the flames, never noticed the ledge, and as she flew across the ground she ended up hitting her head on the ground sending her into unconsciousness.

With the latest threat dealt with, the Gerudo turned to face the group of forest dwellers. It quickly noticed that the girls had turned from the boys to face him. Knowing that these two could be the greatest threat, it limped toward them, preparing spells as it closed distance with the girls.

Saria and Kairi combined their magic and sent a spike of ice at the slowly approaching enemy, only for the Gerudo to summon a wall of fire that quickly melted the ice. The Gerudo gathered the fire into a ball and shot it at the green haired duo. Saria quickly dropped to the ground, where she then dug her hands into the ground and sent a pulse of magic through the ground. Kairi, meanwhile, flew into the sky where she began to shape her magic into lightning.

The Knuckle began to quicken its pace, trying to close the distance before whatever the girls had planned happened. But as it lifted its foot to take another step forward, the Knuckle felt its right foot being dragged back down. Quickly looking down, it saw that its foot had been snagged by a root. But before the Knuckle could simply dismiss the root with a wave of fire, the ground surrounding the Knuckle exploded, as great wooden roots emerged and quickly wrapped it up in wood and brought the golden Knuckle down on its knees.

Looking up, the Gerudo elite saw the green haired girl controlling the plants, and as the warrior looked higher still, it saw that the green fairy had in her hand a solidified emerald green bolt of lightning. Realizing the peril that it was in, the Knuckle began to sink itself into the earth. Kairi, with her bolt completed, threw down the lightning at the sinking figure. The ground erupted in a shower of rumble and dust as the bolt collided with the ground.

Exhausted, Saria sank to her knees and looked up as Kairi glided down in exhaustion to rest on the ground a few feet away from her. Looking to her right, Saria saw Link and Altair stirring ten feet away. "Finally, he's gone." Saria exclaimed in a exhausted joy. Kairi nodded exhaustively, agreeing.

But the joy was short lived, as Saria turned her attention from Link to the dust cloud, as she felt a glare upon her, for out of the dust limped the Golden Knuckle.

The Knuckle stopped before Kairi, and in its hand, a fireball formed. Kairi could only stare up in horror as the Knuckle turned its hand upon her and shot the flame at her as it walked onto Saria. The flame quickly traveled toward the emerald fairy, only to be intercepted by a glowing Altair. The flame twisted and fought with his aura that he quickly summoned, twisting and snapping from what was a hate-fueled blood red fire into a bright golden flash. When Kairi's eyes cleared, she saw herself still in the village, but Altair was nowhere to be seen.

Turning his attention from the curious magic that had just happened to Saria, the Knuckle raised its spear above the exhausted girl's heart and spoke. "_You would have made a great mage in the army. Ha! In fact all of you kids would have made great additions to our army. But I cannot allow any threats to the Goddess or her plans._" And with that, the Knuckle raised its spear higher in preparation, only to hear a low growling, that was different from any monster and animal that the great soldier had ever heard in its life.

Turning its head toward the sound, the soldier saw the boy Link raise himself from the ground and onto his hands and feet. The boy's eyes shone with a wild and fierce light. The boy raised its head toward the sky and released a long and unnatural howl from his Hylian face. Then in a flash of gold and black, where Link once stood, a black wolf with gold slashes across its side stood.

Quickly backing up, the Gerudo turned to run from the unnatural terror, only to look down and see two black paws exiting from his armored chest. The soldier spoke one last word as he fell onto his face. "_Monster._"

Link removed his paws from the dead Knuckle and padded back to Saria and Kairi, transforming back into his normal Hylian form.

-Present Time Reynard Village-

Link turned back to look at Saria, who had finished her crying and stood there comforting Kairi, who had just started to accept the truth that Altair was gone. Brad, Naomi, and Wraith had joined with Saria in attempting to console the little green fairy.

"Kairi, he's still alive." The group turned their attention onto Link. Kairi looked upon him with hopeful, yet tearful eyes. "I would know if he had died. I just don't know where he is, but I do know that he is alive." Kairi nodded her head.

"We should get going, we don't know if there are more Knuckles, but whatever the case is, we need to get away from here before anyone unfriendly finds us." Brad put forth. Link, Saria, and Naomi nodded.

"Alright, we stick with the original plan and continue onto Castle Town for information, and then onto the gem, wherever it is. Altair will find us, so we don't need to worry about him." Link said as he walked with his friends outside the dead village.

-Kokiri Forest, Same Time-

Altair pulled himself from the ashes that had once been Link's house and looked around. Seeing no one, he flew off, still shrouded in his aura at a slow pace, tired and exhausted beyond belief, towards the exit of the Kokiri Forest and into the outside world.

But unbeknownst to Altair, someone did notice him. "Hey Mido, isn't that Altair, Link's fairy?" Zaid (6) asked.

"So they didn't die after all." The fiery haired boy pondered. Coming to a quick decision, Mido declared, "We're going after them, and this time we won't leave things to chance. Link, Saria, Altair, and Kairi will all pay the price of betrayal. They betrayed both us and the forest. Let's go Zaid."

**The chapter is finally finished. It has taken me forever to finish this chapter. Mostly because I have been too busy reading fanfictions, instead of working on mine.**

**I am sorry that it has taken so long, but I finally finished it. **

**1) The Gerudo people in the last thirty years have begun to integrate some Hylian tribes into their society, thus eliminating the curse that has plagued their race since the last war of the races.**

**2) This is my explanation of how Link carries all his equipment with him. Also the spell was placed by his mom.**

**3) The tribe is nomadic, which is the reason for the tents. **

**4) Remember Link and Saria have never seen or heard a horse before.**

**5) She has a slight southern accent.**

**6) Zaid is Mido's fairy, I have finally decided to give him a name.**

**Again I am sorry for how long how it took me to finish the chapter. But just to let you know the story is still going on. IF I quit on the story, I will let you know, but I will also provide a summary of everything that I was going to write. **

**Hope you like, leave reviews and comments.**


	7. A Day in Castle Town

Everyone Dies

Ch7

**I'd like to thank IrishDragon 95, Angle of Darkness, and Brown Phantom for their reviews, as well as all those who have added this story onto their favorites. **

**Alright all my loyal readers here I present unto you the next chapter of Everyone Dies. This chapter takes place a month after the previous chapter, and it starts off with the group arriving at the capitol of Hyrule, Castle Town and Hyrule Castle. **

-Castle Town-

It had been over a month since that awful day back at Reynard village. The events of that day had cast a shadow over the group for weeks, casting a disturbing silence over the group. That cloud was shattered when Kairi got sick and tired of their poor mood and snapped them back into reality. Her outburst and anger, while terrible to face, had pulled everyone back from the brink of despair and hopelessness.

After that day Link and Brad had begun to spar; Link with his Kokiri blade and Brad with his multitude of knives, each pushing the other forward in an effort to better themselves in preparation for the next challenge. Meanwhile Saria had taken to teaching Naomi some magic after she found that she had a natural predisposition towards a certain kind of magic; enhancement and fire magic. While the two groups practiced, Kairi had taken Link's nearly totaled shield and had started to repair it with an old and ancient fairy spell that was used to heal trees after a storm.

On their travels north, Link and the party started to attract the attention of many of the roaming bands of Wolfos that lived among the plains; these Wolfos, while similar in shade to the Wolfos that lived among the forests, were a great deal smaller than their forest brothers, and were a slight bit slimmer, showing that they were built for speed. Brad and Naomi, who were freaked out when the Wolfos originally arrived at dusk when Link played a tune on his ocarina, had since accepted the strange creatures. What they couldn't get used to, however, was how this one massive Wolfos from the forest, which Link identified as Perrin, never left his side, and who he seemed to have silent conversations with.

But the training, constant travel, and new friends could not distract anyone from who was missing. Kairi in particular could often be found staring towards the south as she worked on Link's shield. But as the days passed, Altair was still not seen, and though Link said that Altair was getting closer by the day, it seemed as if something was slowing him down greatly.

But all their travel weariness and worries left their minds once they saw the stone capital of Hyrule. Gazing at the walled town from a hill, Link noticed that the entire city was surrounded by a moat on all sides. The walls of the city rose an easy forty feet into the air, easily shadowing many of the smaller buildings that lay near the wall. Along the wall, Link counted over fifty soldiers, all in armor, with sword at the waist and a crossbow slung across their backs as they stood watch, gazing at the surrounding countryside. But what captivated both Link and Saria's attention more than anything were the tall dark stone towers that stood at least sixty feet tall. Link and Saria marveled at the giant stone structures, having never seen anything made of stone so tall. As they stared at the stone towers, Perrin, noticing the city, walked off and went hunting knowing that he would not be welcome in a city inhabited by men.

While Link and Saria were distracted with the stone towers, Brad immediately noticed that the drawbridge was closed. Leaning over to whisper in Naomi's ear he asked, "Since when has the drawbridge been closed during the day?"

Naomi shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, I do not come up to Castle Town all that much, and whenever I do, it is to accompany Malon on her delivery route, and the gate is always open when I come. But, who knows, the Hyrule court has been acting nine kinds of strange recently." Brad nodded his head before he looked down towards Wraith, who had grown during their journey. He was now as tall as his shin and had lengthened out to match his growing height. While his quickly growing size was strange, Brad found how he seemed to pick up Wraith's feelings and location to be far more troubling, but he decided to keep his worries to himself. No need to worry everyone else with his issues.

Naomi quickly dragged Brad out of his thoughts by pulling him down the hill after Link and Saria, who had taken off down the hill eager to see the inside of the walled city. Brad quickly slipped his arm from hers and gripped her hand earning him a smile from his red haired girlfriend. Once the group had gotten to the drawbridge landing, Link hailed the gatekeeper.

"HEY! Let us in!" The green clad boy shouted. Link heard shuffling from the inside of the large stone gatehouse. But as he and his friends stood there waiting for the gatekeeper, Link felt many eyes on him. Turning his attention from the gatehouse, he noticed that the once placid watchmen were all watching him with a deep searching look as they trained their crossbows onto the group of travelers.

Finally after a tense minute, the gatekeeper stuck his old graying head out and shouted down to the small group of travelers. "What do you lot want! Do you have any deliveries, or are you travelers that have come down from Kakariko Village to visit the grand capital?" The man questioned.

"We have come to visit the city!" Link shouted, not willing to provoke the watchmen that eyed him and his group with distrust. Nodding to himself, the gatekeeper retreated into his gatehouse and seconds later the drawbridge was swinging on its way down. Link and Saria walked across into the city hand in hand. Brad turned to Naomi with a raised eyebrow, only to smile sweetly as they too walked into Castle Town.

Link and Saria had stopped walking as they started to enter the fringes of the shopping district. Looking around eagerly in the shadow covered district, Link spotted a grime covered and defiled sign that appeared to indicate an inn. Taking a closer look, Link noticed that the sign read in elegant script, 'Tribe's Sanctuary'. "Hey Brad," Link called getting Brad's attention. "Do you know this inn?"

Brad stopped walking and took note of the inn. "Yeah, it is an inn that is run by a family of tribesmen. This is probably where we will be staying during our time here. Don't worry, it is actually one of the best inns in the entire city, but because it is run by tribesman it doesn't get a lot of business. For, as you have probably noticed, most Hylians detest my people." Link turned around, dropping Saria's hand as he moved his hand to his item bag, ready to protect her if need be, and looked at the people in the district, noticing that almost every single person in the area was avoiding them and sending them looks of disgust.

"But how do they know that you are from a tribe, and not … well, like them?" Saria questioned.

Brad didn't answer straight away; instead he motioned for everyone to move into the inn. Once everyone was inside, he answered. "Well the easiest way is by the bands." He motioned to the green bands that he had tattooed around his arms. "Almost every tribesman has tattoos that symbolize one's tribe. Of course, there is also my necklace. Most Hylians wear gold and jewels, and the feathers adorning it clearly indicate to others that I am not from one of the King's villages." Brad explained.

"And of course all of us are wearing durable clothes, rather than the finery that is typical of Castle Town. Now, how about we get our rooms all sorted out, and then we spend the rest of the day having fun. The central square has many game booths and shops that sell things that I am sure that you have never seen." Naomi said as she rang the bell at the front desk.

"Good day to you, young masters. My name is Roran, and I am the innkeeper here. Tell me how I might help you." Roran said.

"Yes, we would like two rooms for the night, and possibly the next day." Naomi said as she unhooked her wallet from her belt.

"Oh good, it has been a long time since we have had customers." The innkeeper said as he smiled a wide grin. "We have many rooms to choose, but seeing as this young man is one of my fellow tribesmen, I will let all of you choose your own room at no additional cost." Roran said as he gave a look to Brad's tattoos, before motioning the group to follow him up the stairs, where he showed the rooms available. "Now we serve dinner here as well, you may eat in the common room downstairs, or if you prefer, you can rent out the private dining room. No? Well I hope you enjoy your stay in Castle Town." Roran said as he walked off leaving the group once they had finished choosing their rooms.

Once everyone had finished settling in they met in Link's room. "Alright, so the plan is to have fun today and tomorrow we work on trying to find a way to visit this castle." Link said getting nods from everyone including Wraith, giving Link pause. "I think that we should split up into groups of three. I will go with Saria and Kairi, while Naomi goes with Brad and Wraith." Receiving nods and smiles, he stood up and grabbed his sword and scabbard from the corner but decided to leave his shield at the inn. Reaching down, he offered his hand to Saria and pulled her up before he left the room with his friend.

-Central Square-

As Link, Saria, and Kairi entered the busiest and most popular part of the city, they immediately clapped their hands over their ears trying to shut out the loud and annoying racket that seemed to emanate from the very air around them. Slowly as their ears adjusted to the volume the children lowered their hands from their ears and stared at the brightly decorated square.

In the center of the square stood a white marble fountain that gushed out crystal clear water into the air. Around the fountain, children ran skipping rocks across the fountain trying to hit the others as they circled the fountain. Placed sporadically around the square were great wooden posts, with lines of streamers running from post to post in an elaborate pattern that glittered green and red, with blue being the most prominent color. Milling around the square were hundreds of people dressed with many light blue shirts that were decorated with golden triangles. The people were milling about, shouting and laughing, each and everyone caught up in their own little world only exiting it to shout out when someone bumped into them. Along the walls of the square were several brightly decorated shops, the newest of which was a white washed building decorated with a large sign depicting a blue mask that had yellow eyes. Across from them, Link noticed a large building that was decorated with a large target and money chest that seemed to attract many young men with ladies. Near to that building was a shop that seemed to sell just about everything from what Link could tell by the items that people brought out. But what was the strangest sight of all was an open windowed red and white striped building that seemed to resemble a man's smiling face.

Link ripped his attention from the square and turned it back to Saria. "So what do you want to do?" She in turn, with no hesitation, grabbed Link's hand again and took off into the crowd aiming for the building with the blue mask.

As they entered the door, their eyes widened in awe at the bright glowing colors that adorned the inside of the building, great long wooden lanes stretched out. In the distance sat glowing targets that shined green, red, yellow, and purple. "May I help you?" A girl dressed in a white blouse behind a counter asked.

"Yes, um what is this place exactly?" Saria asked.

"Glad you asked. This is the Bombchu bowling alley." The girl said, seeing their still puzzled looks she explained further. "Alright, Bombchus are bombs that move, they are actually a new invention. Anyway, the goal is to set the bomb down at the right time and with the right aim to try and get it to explode in the center of the circle there. And if you have it explode in the center then you get a prize. Seeing as you are the first people to enter and play, I'll let the first game be for free, but after that you will have to pay twenty rupees a game."

"Come on Link. I bet that I can get my bombs into the circle before you can."Saria taunted, her bright blue eyes shining with mirth. She quickly placed the mask onto her face before taking it off, and after a second of waiting she set it down. She watched in awe as the mask left a red trail behind it as it zipped down the lane, where at the end it climbed up the wall, crawling along before turning slightly and veering towards the left, exploding on one of the inner rings.

Jumping back in shock, Saria smiled at her success, sending a grin at Link who had at that moment just put on the mask. Looking at him with the blue mask made her smile; he just looked too cute with that blue mask and his long green cap. After a few seconds, Link set the bombchu on the ground and watched as it zipped off, moving left and right as it raced towards the center of the target where it exploded, lighting up each of the glowing rings. Link turned to look at Saria with a triumphant smile.

"Nicely done, you two seemed to have picked up the hang of those things pretty quick. So for the green haired girl, a pack of five bombchus," The girl said as she handed Saria a bag filled with five of the masks. "And for our winner, here is a bag of ten bombchu masks, and a large bomb bag."

Link and Saria put their prizes in their item bags before they walked out back into the milling crowd, where they began to walk and browse. "Hey Saria, what do you think we are going to do once we have finished this quest?"

"Well I am not entirely sure, but I kind of want to see a little more of the outside world." Link nodded in agreement. "But at the same time, I do not want to travel and wander my entire life. I want a home, but I haven't found a place that I would like to live in. I mean the plains are nice, but it just doesn't appeal to me. And I could never live in a place like this, it's just too noisy. I know what I want out of my life, but I know that it will take some time for it to happen." Saria quickly stole a look at Link with a small blush adorning her cheeks. "But what I will do after this quest I just don't know. So many things have changed."

"Yeah … change." Link sighed. "I love all the new things that we are experiencing, but I just feel so lost. We know next to nothing about the outside world, Brad and Naomi are our only friends outside the forest. I just don't know. I feel as if the whole world is against us and we have no one to help us." The Kokiri boy finished with another sigh as he hung his head.

Saria stared at the depressed boy and with a gentle nudge from Kairi she moved over and wrapped him in a hug. "Link, I know the world seems to be against us, but we are not alone. Brad, Naomi, and Wraith are here for us; remember they won't abandon us. And don't you forget that Altair is on his way back to us, and you know that he will help us with any challenge that opposes us." Link nodded, as he relaxed into Saria's hug. "And we can't forget that every Wolfos that we meet will help us."

At this Link stiffened noticeably. "Link, what's the matter with the Wolfos?" Kairi questioned.

Link tried to pull away from Saria, but the emerald haired girl wouldn't let go. Link lifted his eyes to Saria's to try and get away, but looking into her blue depths he saw her fear, confusion, and a strange warm emotion that flooded his heart with warmth. "When we were at Reynard village, when I killed the golden knuckle, I … I changed. I became a wolf, and killed him. But before he died he called me a monster." Link gave off a dry humorless chuckle. "I thought that maybe … I don't want to be a monster."

Kairi flew towards Link's face and gave him a slap on the cheek that was surprisingly strong for her size. "Now you listen here. What you are, and what you can do is by no means natural, but that doesn't make you a monster. Monsters live to kill, and take great pleasure in the suffering of others. You said that knuckle called you a monster; well, I say that he was the monster. He came into the village and murdered people for no reason. Link, you are not a monster, I trust you with Saria's life and I would never do that to any monster." At the end of Kairi's speech Link lifted his arms and hugged Saria back finally becoming at peace with who and what he is.

"Thank you." Link whispered to both of the girls. Kairi nodded while Saria simply hugged him tighter. "We'll figure things out as we go along." Saria nodded before releasing Link and tugging him back into the crowd, to have some more fun.

-Tribe's Sanctuary-

After a day filled with fun, and their hearts lightened by the acknowledgement by their earlier talk and the ensuing fun and games that followed, Link and Saria entered the common room of the inn, with the moon rising at their backs, as they walked over to join Brad and Naomi.

"So, tell me, did you two enjoy your date?" Naomi teased pointing down at the green clad duo's joined hands. Link and Saria looked down at their hands and quickly sprung apart, although to Brad and Naomi it seemed to have been reluctant on both parts.

"Come on enough with the teasing, so did you two learn anything of importance while you two were out on _your_ date." Link responded trying to ease his blush back down.

"Well, actually, yes." Brad said. "Apparently a Gerudo caravan arrived about two weeks ago." Link and Saria nodded, quickly calming down and getting back to business. "But that is not the most important part, apparently the Gerudo King and his family have come to try and strike a deal with the Hylians."

"That is pretty important. That must have been why the market was so busy. The shops must have gotten new products from the Gerudos." Link speculated.

Naomi chuckled, "That is actually how it is on most days, but the bazaar was extremely packed today. Apparently, the members of the Gerudo royal family are practitioners of strange and powerful dark magic." Link and Saria traded looks before turning their attention back towards Naomi. "I don't know all that much about them but apparently there are about four or five members. Anyway, what happened to you guys?" Naomi asked as she leaned her chair against a wall.

Link quickly took up the tale of what they did. He told how he and Saria had played bombchu bowling, browsed some of the stores, how Saria won at the shooting gallery and had received the best score out of anyone all year long, which Saria blushed prettily at.

"Link, don't forget how when the men dared you to try your hand at the game, when you hit the rupees with your sling, the rupees shattered, leaving shards of rock embedded all over the place." Saria commented, remembering the looks of shock and awe that they had received from the patrons.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot that. Anyway, we went shopping, got some more ore, nearly got conned into joining the Hylian army. Snacked on some food, got dragged by the crowd to listen to some man in a white robe with golden triangles preach on the will of the goddess. Oh and Kairi was complaining on the fact that Altair wasn't here to treat her on a date." Link said, earning a glare and a shot of green magic from the emerald fairy.

"Yeah, the people of Hyrule are really into the worship of the three goddesses, as opposed to the Creator. But the worship of Nayru has really risen as of late." Naomi explained.

"Wait a minute. How were you nearly conned into joining the army?" Brad questioned.

"He was going to buy a Hylian shield, but the store owner offered him a discounted shield. Apparently, if he had accepted the offer, then he would have gone straight off to a Hylian soldier camp to become trained. Luckily, he remembered the caution that Altair taught him." The green fairy exclaimed with a far off look in her eyes.

"Don't worry Kairi, I have a feeling that he will show up sometime tomorrow." Link reassured the fairy.

"He better be. Because if we have to sneak into the castle without a guide, I just know that something is going to go wrong." Kairi replied, her eyes filling up once again with hope.

**And that is the end of my seventh chapter. This was mostly a transitional chapter that moved the plot forward. But it was very important to show how the kids survived the aftermath of the attack on the village. I wanted to show how vulnerable the children were after the attack, as well as point out that Link and Saria are for all intents and purposes strangers to the world in general, thus leading to a lighter chapter than before.**

**Oh and Naomi's horse was killed in the fire that burned Brad's shop, forgot to mention it.**

**I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and I am glad that I didn't take too long to write it. I have a poll up on my profile, and I need some input on it.**

**Be sure to leave a review, I am always glad to hear feedback. **


	8. Reunited

Everyone Dies

Ch8

**I'd like to thank IrishDragon 95, Angle of Darkness, Brown Phantom, and archsage150 for their reviews, as well as all those who have added this story onto their favorites. I bet that you weren't expecting the next chapter to come out so fast.**

**This chapter picks up where the last left off and includes a chase scene, introduces many of the other main characters, and Link's secret past is revealed. This was originally combined with the next chapter, but I believe that it is better left split up. Originally chapter eight was over 10,000 words long.**

**Note that Hyrule castle is slightly changed, but there is a reason.**

_**I have revised and reposted chapters one and two, and strongly recommend my readers to read them and give me their opinions on the revised chapters. **_

**I do not own Legend of Zelda, I own only the plot of this story, and any and all oc's in the story. **

-Next Day, Tribe's Sanctuary-

Rising from her bed, Saria woke to the cuckoo's crow. Peering outside the window, she noticed the sky trading its black robes for the lighter grey of dawn, but with the sun hidden by the wall that surrounded the city, she couldn't see the sunrise. Deciding to forgo more sleep in light of what they would be doing today, Saria got out of bed and pulled on her day clothes, stuffing her night clothes into her pack. As she was tightening her belt, her eyes trailed towards the nightstand where her new hairclip Link had given her lay. Picking it up, she admired its appearance. The clip was designed into a five pointed flower, with the petals being a pale green with flecks of white here and there, and in the center, where the petals met, lay a bright golden center. The shop owner had said that the entire piece was made of solid glass, and was very delicate, but after working a little of her magic last night on it strengthening the clip, she was no longer afraid of it breaking during a fight and decided that it was safe enough to wear without fear of it breaking. Brushing her hair, she decided to place the clip above her left ear.

She turned her attention to the window to catch a glimpse of her reflection, smiling at what she saw. She turned to leave when she suddenly saw a small light fly out her window. Quickly, the green haired girl opened the window. Sticking her head outside the window, she searched for the light, only to see a man walking along the streets with a lantern, sighing to herself at the false hope. She woke Kairi, who had fallen into a deep sleep the night before. "Kairi, come on. It's time to wake up."

Groaning, the small green fairy stirred herself and fluttered into the air; glancing around blearily, she noticed her charge walking around the room, packing up the rest of her things that she had taken out the night before. Still tired, the fairy flew to the window, and after unlatching it she flew to the top of the inn where she quickly awoke herself fully with the feel of the wind on her body. Finally awake, the fairy turned to go back in, but before she left the roof, she turned her attention north towards the castle. Sighing to herself for her wandering attention, she returned to her room to see that Saria had finished packing and stood waiting by the door. "Good morning Saria," Kairi chirped flying towards the girl.

"Morning yourself, sleepyhead. Now, come on; we need to wake up Link. You know how he is." Saria said, earning a nod from the small green fairy. Exiting the room, Saria noticed Brad and Naomi walking down the hallway with Wraith riding on Brad's shoulders, curled around his neck. The green haired girls smiled at the couple before they started towards Link's room.

Opening the door, they found him sleeping in his clothes from the day before. In the corner of his room lay his shield and sword leaning against the wall, with his pack lying in a heap beside them. His boots were lying on the ground tossed haphazardly onto the floor. It was clear to the girls, that when he came up for bed, he simply removed some of his gear, getting himself comfortable before falling to sleep. Saria sighed in annoyance at his messiness. Walking up to Link, she tried to shake him awake, but he simply rolled over. Reaching over him, she rolled him onto his back. "Link, it's Saria. Come on, it's time to wake up." Saria gently whispered, causing Link to smile in his sleep. "Come on Link, this is no time for games; today is the day we try to get into the castle." The green haired girl said, but Link slept on, still entrapped in the realms of his dreams. "Today just had to be one of his difficult days," Saria muttered before she mumbled a quick spell forming a small ball of water in her hand, which she promptly dropped on Link's face, abruptly waking him from his slumber.

Link shot out of bed at once, fully awake with his face and hair dripping water, quickly shaking his head before shooting a glare at Saria and Kairi who were laughing to themselves. "Oh, come on guys, couldn't you have woken me up a little more gently?" Link asked.

"She tried Link, but you just wouldn't wake up, and we need to get moving." Kairi explained as she checked the pockets of her emerald long coat. "You _do_ remember that today is the day we try to get into Hyrule Castle?"

"Of course I remember. Now, if you ladies would excuse me, I need to get ready. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast in a few minutes." Link said as he noticed that his shirt had gotten wet from his wake up call. Kairi nodded and flew out the door and towards breakfast.

"Just make sure that you don't fall asleep on us again, Link. Next time you wake up you'll find yourself hanging from the ceiling by your feet," Saria said with a smile on her face as she left his room. Link stared after her, wondering how on earth she would manage that, but never doubting that if he drifted off she would follow through on her threat.

Shuffling around his room, Link pulled on each of his boots and after noticing the wear on them made a mental note for him and his friends to get new boots before they headed towards the castle. Reaching into his pack, Link pulled out another of his green tunics and after changing shirts, he began to gather up his gear. He pulled out his brown leather belt and tied it around his waist. After placing his wallet in one of the belt's pockets, he tied his item bag to his belt. Then reaching out to the chair in the room he took the sling that he had made from the enchanted spider web and wrapped it loosely around his waist. Turning his attention to his sword and shield, Link strapped his sword and scabbard across his back with practiced ease, but when he reached over to pick up his shield he noticed that it was different. The large gash had been repaired, looking as though it had never happened, but the red design on the shield had changed. No longer was the emblem of the Kokiri Emerald the only thing on the shield. Now, on the upper right corner of the shield stood a crescent moon that was painted red, and on the rim of the shield what once was dark brown wood now appeared to be bright green. Shrugging at the new development from what Link assumed was the work of Kairi's spell, Link strapped on the shield and after shoving his pack in his item bag, he headed downstairs to join his friends for breakfast.

As Link entered the common room, he quickly picked out his friends and joined them for breakfast. After placing and receiving his order from the serving maid, Link started to discuss the plans for entering the castle with his friends. "So, do you guys think that we should wait for Altair to join us before we make our way into the castle, or should we go ahead and do some scouting and possibly even break in today?" Link asked.

Saria was quick to put in her opinion. "I think that we should wait for Altair to show up. After all, he's the only one that knows where to go in that place. But I do think that we should check out the guards and familiarize ourselves with their movements and such." Link and Brad nodded in agreement to the plan, but Naomi didn't seem too sure.

"I don't know guys. I think that the faster that we get this done, the better. From what you told us I don't think that we have any time to waste. And besides, I think that I might have a way of getting us in the castle. My uncle often comes up to Hyrule Castle to make deliveries to the kitchen, so if we tag along, we should be able to get into the kitchens, and from there, we could work ourselves deeper into the castle. And by the way, how do you know about scouting out the guard's rotation patterns?" The red haired girl asked.

Kairi, sitting on Saria's shoulder chewing on a piece of bread, snorted in amusement. "These two kids were some of the best pranksters the forest has ever known. They got into all kinds of trouble, sneaking into the other children's houses and laying traps for them. And while the pranks were juvenile, they did teach these two how to be stealthy." Kairi said pointing to the two children who were smiling as they recalled some of the things that they did.

Brad sat in thought, sipping his cup of coffee and thought of the merits of both plans. Setting his cup of coffee down, he decided that it was time to point out both plans faults. "Saria, while your plan is safe, it does leave us waiting on the missing fairy. And while Link said that he would be here today, the fact of the matter is if he is as fast as Kairi said he is, then he should have met up with us long ago." Kairi leveled a glare at the bushy haired teen. "Naomi, your plan does get us into the castle, but you are overlooking a couple of major problems. First of all, we would go into the kitchen which is probably pretty far from the library, which is where we need to go. Also, from what you told me of the kitchen staff, we would stick out like a sore thumb with how we are dressed and it would be easy for anyone to notice us slipping out from that crowd." Naomi gave Brad a reluctant nod, recognizing the flaws that her plan held. "What I suggest that we do is try to find someone with information on the layout of the castle. With that information, we could sneak in after dark."

Link opened his mouth to interject, but before he could say anything, the door to the inn slammed open as two Hylians walked in. Link turned his attention away from them, trying to block out their loud arguing. "I'm telling you, that's what I saw!" One of the men, a large merchant dressed in bright blues and reds with gilded buttons, and large gemstones adorning his neck and fingers said, in exasperation.

"You expect me to believe that you saw a golden star shoot down from the sky and fly all over the city, blessing it before turning to the castle to bless the royal family in their efforts to restore Hyrule to its former glory?" The taller and simpler dressed man asked. The group immediately dropped their discussion and paid attention to the two men. Link paid attention to the tall man and noted that his clothes, while simple, seemed to be finely made. He wore simple black leather boots with a pair of fine black pants, and a green dagger sheathed at his belt. His upper body was clothed with a long green coat that stopped above his knees, underneath of which he wore a white shirt. Slung across his back, he wore a long slightly curved sword. Link noticed a single piece of jewelry on the tall man, a simple golden band that adorned his left hand.

"That is what I'm saying Tommy. If you spent more time in Castle Town instead of Kakariko Village, then you would have seen all the wonders that have been taking place lately. But noo, you-"

"It's Thomas, only my friends call me Tommy." The man now identified as Thomas said, letting his right hand lay casually on his dagger. "Now, if you don't mind, let's get this deal over with. I don't like leaving Clefspeare and Gwaihir outside the walls all alone."

"Of course, of course, silly me. I forgot. We will sort out the details. Innkeeper! We will take your private dining room." The large merchant ordered, sweating slightly. Rannoch nodded his head and showed the two men upstairs to the dining room.

Link turned back to his friends. "Here is the plan, we go out and get some supplies and meet in front of the castle. We find Altair and from there we enter the castle." Link said, getting a nod from everyone.

-Hyrule Castle-

As Link, Saria, and Kairi waited for the others to show up, they each took the opportunity to gaze upon Hyrule Castle. The children stared in awe at the castle, they had thought that the walls were impressive, but the walls and towers seemed like a muddy glob of dirt compared to the castle.

It was a work of art. The walls of the castle were not cut at hard angles like the outer walls that stood rigidly. Instead, the walls of the castle curved gently into a rounded wall. Around the castle's walls flowed a crystal clear moat, the stones that made up the castle shone bright white in the light of the noonday sun, amplified by the water running past the walls. Tall spires and towers emerged from the wide and gentle castle, standing elegantly in the sky, shining as if they were made of glass. Bright red tiles adorned the roofs of the towers. Shining metal embedded into the very stones of the castle gleamed brighter than the brightest silver. On the east side of the castle lay a brilliant and beautiful garden adding to the beauty of the castle. The castle was beautiful; to the children who lived in a forest, the stone buildings of the city seemed cold, lifeless, and ugly. But the castle almost looked alive.

Unfortunately, the grand castle was surrounded by a high wall that stood at least sixty feet tall made of the ugly grey and boring stone that had once looked impressive, and now looked dull and hideous compared to the beauty of the palace. Armed guards by the hundreds stood at attention along the high walls guarding the castle, silently daring anyone to try and force their way into the castle. While the forest children stared at the walls, Brad, Naomi, and Wraith had arrived.

"It looks more like a palace, doesn't it? You know it wasn't actually the Hylians who built Hyrule Castle." Naomi said, startling the children out of their daze. "After the war between the races eight hundred years ago, each side had to make reparations to the other. So the Gorons built Hyrule Castle as a gift of peace. No one can work stone as well as a Goron master mason." Naomi explained. "But the Gorons refused to create battle emplacements or walls like the Hylians wanted. They claimed that since there was peace, there was no need for walls and fortifications. So the Hylians built the wall and towers themselves to guard the castle."

"That is too bad, that castle is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen." Saria said with Link and Kairi nodding in agreement. "But we have to focus, Link, can you sense where Altair is?"

Link closed his eyes and searched for his fairy. His mind reached out, trying to find his guardian fairy, past the guards in the gate barring the way to the castle he searched. Down the road, he reached out until he felt a familiar presence. Opening his eyes in excitement, he nodded. "We need to get past the road gate and just down the road in a cave underneath the earth is Altair." Link said in excitement.

"He must be resting in the fairy fountain nearby." Kairi said, now noticing that she felt the gentle magic of the fairies flowing from a cave down the road.

"But how are we going to get past the gate? I heard on the way here that all admittance to the castle has been cut off, seeing as negotiations are going on with the Gerudos." Brad said, causing Link and Naomi to lower their heads in thought.

Saria walked back down the road, out of sight from the guards, drawing upon her magic without a word. She pointed her fingers at the ground and raised them up to the top of the natural cliff that stood on the right side of the road. Trailing from the ground from where she had pointed emerged thick vines that quickly crawled up the cliff before anchoring themselves into the ground on top. Taking a breath, she turned back to her friends and called them over. (1)

As the group arrived and saw her work, they knew that they had their way past the guards. "You're getting really good with plants and earth magic." Link said, giving Saria a bright smile, causing the girl to redden before she started to climb up the cliff to escape the snickering of her fairy.

One by one, each of the group climbed up the magically grown vines, with Wraith riding on Brad's shoulders. Once everyone was on top of the cliff, Link and Saria led the way, moving stealthily and silently through the tall grass that grew on the cliff, leaving no trace that they had even passed through. Brad followed along with the grace and sureness of a hunter, and Naomi, trailing after Brad, moved with a grace and ease that was unexpected from a ranch girl. In silence, they passed by the guards stationed at the gate, and moving stealthily along the cliff they eventually reached the cave where Altair was resting in. Calling upon her magic once more, Saria commanded vines to grow. After about a minute, a second sturdy group of vines finished growing, providing a safe down to the entrance of the cave.

In silence, the group climbed down the vines and stood at the entrance to the fairy fountain, which happened to be blocked by a large boulder with only a small opening to let air enter. Link looked to Saria to see if she could move the boulder. She gave a small nod and, drawing deep upon her magic, Saria slowly and silently moved the boulder away from the cave, allowing enough of a gap for everyone to pass through. Breathing deeply, the green haired girl wiped the sweat from her brow and entered the cave with Link and the others following worriedly behind her.

Inside stood a sight few have seen. The fairy fountain filled with water gushing from a spring and surrounded by white marble steps glowed with the magic of the fairies. Lights of every color shined in the blackness that lay outside the fountain. Naomi, Brad, and Wraith stared in awe at the magical place, but Link quickly rushed over to Saria.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Just tired. I'm not used to using earth magic silently. I am much better with plants. Just get me a bottle of the water and I should be fine." Saria said.

Link nodded, and after pulling out one of his empty bottles, he stepped into the fountain to retrieve the water. But as soon as his feet entered the water, a loud shriek resounded throughout the fountain. Dropping the bottle in the water, Link pulled out his sword and shield ready for whatever was coming his way. Brad and Naomi, snapped out of their daze by the shriek, quickly pulled out their weapons. With a quick, smooth movement, Brad whipped out his long battle knives; just as Wraith leaped from his shoulders and stood snarling with his claws once again glowing gold. Naomi quickly removed her bow from her back, and stood at the ready with an arrow already knocked. Saria, too tired to stand, drew her knife from her belt. Kairi simply stared in anticipation.

Suddenly bursting forth from the water, a lady covered with a bronze gown and glowing pink hair appeared. "Chosen child of the wolfos, why do you come before me? What business do you have with me, the Great Fairy of the North?" The Great Fairy questioned with a large, grand, lilting voice.

Link and Saria slowly put away their weapons, but Brad, Naomi, and Wraith still stood tensed ready for anything. "My friends and I have come to retrieve Altair, my guardian fairy. I also want some water to heal my friend Saria's exhaustion."

The Great Fairy inspected the young boy standing before her. As she searched his heart, she found something unexpected. "What is your name, boy?" The fairy demanded, her expression serious and focused.

"Link."

"Do you not know your last name?" The fairy questioned.

"I don't have one."

The Great Fairy smiled in amusement. "Everyone has a last name, even the Kokiri of the forest, although they do not use them. Your friend with the green hair is called Saria Willow. And the tribesman is called Brad Hunter." The fairy said, shocking Saria and Brad. "You, young lad, are the last of your line. Your father and mother murdered by assassins out to kill you. Your family were simple folk, yet brave and stubborn. They were farmers that lived on the borders of the Lost Woods. Your family was great friends to the fairies and it was a tragedy to hear that they were all killed." The fairy said, saddened at the reminder of the loss of their friends.

Link stared at the fairy in shock. He had known that he was Hylian, but had never thought of what might have happened to his family. "Why were people out to kill me? And who am I?" The young boy questioned.

"Neither I, nor my sisters, know why the assassins came for you." The pink haired fairy stated. "As for who you are, that is up to you to decide. But as to what your name is, your full name is Link Fayore. You are the last of our Hylian friends, and although you are no longer fully Hylian, I shall aide you on your journey." The Great Fairy declared as she raised her hands to Link, encircling Link with a trickle of golden lights. Inside of himself, Link felt as if a wall was being lifted. "It is done. Your block has been removed. You can now cast magic, but you can only choose one path of magic. Will you be a mage like your special friend, or will you follow in the steps of your guardian?" The fairy asked with curiosity before turning to slip back into the water.

"Wait!" Link shouted. "Where's Altair?" The fairy pointed at the pool where Link stood before retreating back to her home under the fountain. Looking down, he saw his fairy floating across the pool on his back. Link picked up his fairy, noticing that his friend was sleeping and his once bright yellow coat was slashed and torn beyond repair.

As Altair left the pool, he woke from his sleep. Standing on Link's hands, he stretched out his back and shook his body, removing the excess water from his body. Opening his eyes, he saw his charge. "Link! I thought that you were around here. I searched all over the city, but I couldn't find you. How was your tr-" Before the gold fairy could say another word Kairi had darted over from Saria and engulfed him in a tight hug, burying her face in his chest.

"What took you so long?" Kairi asked, tears running down her eyes as she felt her boyfriend's arms wrap around her.

"I kind of had to fight off armies of Stachildren and Poes every night, so I am beyond exhausted. And I think that someone was tracking me, but whoever they were they couldn't keep up very long." Altair said. "Sorry for worrying you."

Kairi released him and wiped her face. "Just don't do it again, or next time I'm going to make you drink tea for a month." Her tired boyfriend paled slightly. "I'm sorry about your coat. I know how much it meant to you."

"Yeah, well, who knows, maybe I can convince Navi to make me another one." Altair shrugged, the disappointment clear in his eyes.

"Or I can just give you the new one that I have been working on." Kairi said as she pulled out a coat from her pack. Altair shrugged out of the remains of his old coat and quickly placed his new one on. Kairi giggled at his enthusiasm and handed him a small necklace with his emerald for pointed star as the pendant. Altair put the necklace on and quickly gave his girlfriend another hug and a peck on the lips before he turned to check his reflection out in the fountain. Staring back at him, he saw himself dressed in a coat that seemed to be made of thousands of golden eagle feathers all sewn together, giving the coat a natural shine like the eagles. The feathered coat stopped just above his knees, rather than below them like his previous coat. (2) Smiling in satisfaction he gave Kairi yet another kiss before turning his attention back to the group of waiting friends. During his and Kairi's moment, Link had gone and gave Saria the water, sitting beside her as they watched the fairies. Brad and Naomi had put up their weapons and were standing around waiting. Wraith had relaxed and had once again climbed up and curled himself around Brad's neck.

"Alright, guys, as great as it is to see you all again, we should probably go and get the information that we need from the castle first." The group nodded in agreement, willing to wait and hold back the many questions they had.

Link rose to his feet and pulled Saria to hers. He walked out of the cave with the others following close behind. "So how do you suggest that we get past the guards?" Link asked his fairy.

"I would suggest some a distraction of some kind outside the wall to draw the guard's attention while we sneak in through the hidden door. But I don't know anything big enough to draw the attention of all the guards." Altair answered as he passed his hand through his hair in thought. Kairi who was flying next to him turned her attention to her charge and gave a simple nod.

**That is the end of chapter eight.**

**I have revised and reposted chapters one and two, and strongly recommend my readers to read them and give me their opinions on the revised chapters. **

**This chapter was written fairly fast, and was originally over 10,000 words long. So as to break up the action I have split the original chapter in two and will publish the second half later.**

**1) Saria can cast spells involving plants and earth silently and quickly, but it takes more concentration to cast spells in this manner. She will get better at this as the story progresses. **

**2) Altair's new coat looks like it is made out of a golden eagle's feathers, and has no designs on it. His green four pointed star emblem is now on the necklace Kairi has given him. I just decided to modify his outfit a little.**

**The next chapter is of key importance, you will want to pay close attention to that one. I will post it in a week.**

**Be sure to leave a review I am always glad for feedback. **


	9. Infiltration and Change

Everyone Dies

Ch 9

**I'd like to thank Brown Phantom, IrishDragon 95, Angle of Darkness, and archsage150 for their reviews, as well as all those who have added this story onto their favorites. This has got to be one of the fastest times that I have ever updated.**

**This chapter deals with the infiltration of the group into the castle and follows directly after the previous chapter. The infiltration is different because this is an AU, so expect for things to be very different in this chapter. Pay close attention to this chapter for this chapter is of key importance, this is where everything changes.**

**Now you will want to pay attention in this chapter, because there are many hints as to what will be going to happen in the latter chapters. Pay attention if you want to catch a hint of what will be happening later. **

**I do not own Legend of Zelda. I do own the plot of the story and all my OCs. **

Saria suddenly brightened, as though she had a fantastic idea. She turned to Link with a devious grin before she opened her pack, grabbing a bombchu mask and showing it to the fairy. "Will this work?" Saria asked with a grin. Altair took a look at the mask and gave a nod. "So Link, I think three each should cause enough chaos for us to sneak through the back door." Link gave her a smile and grabbed a mask of his own before they lit the masks and sent them racing out towards the far side of the castle. Once all the masks had been sent, the children stood silently waiting for the explosion. After an eternity, they heard a chorus of explosions before they heard the sounds of the castle guards clamoring and turning their attention towards the site of the explosion.

Moving quickly, Link and his friends ran as silently as they could, chasing after Altair who led the way to the hidden gate, hugging the wall as they ran. Brad ran on after his friends, glancing nervously up at the wall. All that it would take would be for one guard to spot them and they would all earn a trip to the castle dungeon. With their blood and adrenaline pumping through their veins, the group eventually reached the back entrance to the castle.

Link stepped up and tried to open the door, but quickly found that the door was locked. Brad, seeing the problem, quickly stepped forward and with a flourish of his hand, he was holding a long thin knife. With an air of professionalism, he moved the knife into the keyhole, and after a few seconds and a final twist, the blue clad teen opened the door and motioned his friends inside. Link and Saria darted in with their fairies. Naomi followed, giving Brad a questioning look, but Brad simply motioned that he will explain later.

Lurking in the shadows on the other side of the wall, Naomi scanned the castle, trying to find a way in. As she cast her eye about, she noticed that nearly all the guards had gathered near the main gate of the outer wall. Realizing that they were still safe, she searched along the castle's walls for any entrance. She noticed that, along the wall of the garden, there lay a small opening for water to drain, but she quickly discarded that as a way into the castle after noticing its small size. Desperately, she continued to search for a suitable entrance until she finally noticed a faint outline of a hidden door along the wall near the water drain. Tapping Link and Saria on the shoulders, she motioned them to follow her as she moved silently along the wall, hiding in its shadow and walking carefully and silently towards the hidden door. Once they were level with the door, she pointed to the hidden door revealing to the group their way in.

Link was about to dash for the door when Altair stopped him. Whispering, he told him, "Link, we need to be cautious here. I'll fly through the water drain and take a look around, and see if there are any guards posted by the door." Nodding in agreement, Link watched as his fairy flew towards the drain, with Kairi tailing after him. Sparing a glance back, the golden fairy sighed but kept flying. Together the two fairies entered the water drain. Link and Saria waited with bated breath as their two friends disappeared from view. After a minute had passed, Altair and Kairi came flying out of the water drain, speeding towards the group. Gathering around the fairies, the group of friends listened to their report.

"The hidden door leads to the castle's garden and it is under guard. The garden is being patrolled by about twenty or thirty knights, and if the garden is being patrolled, I have to assume that the entire castle has soldiers patrolling the hallways. Luckily, the door isn't locked. But we still need to distract the guards." Altair whispered, Link reached for his item bag, but Kairi shook her head.

"If we let a bombchu off in the castle, we will rouse the entire castle, bringing all the guards down on our heads." Kairi told Link in a low voice. "From what I could see, the guards are wound pretty tight; all we need is something small to distract them. Link if you can put a Deku Nut through that drain with your sling that should provide enough of a distraction to draw the guards from their post. After you send the nut on its way, Saria and I will cast an ice spell making a small temporary bridge for us across the moat. But be careful, if that nut impacts out here then we are caught." Link nodded gravely as he unwound his spider web war sling from his waist.

After placing the Deku Nut into the sling, he quickly spun the weapon, gathering the needed speed. Focusing his attention on the target he didn't notice Brad and Wraith preparing for the sprint, nor did he pay heed to Naomi keeping an eye on the surrounding walls. With adrenaline flooding his veins, he heard everything around him, from the fluttering of the fairies wings to Saria and Kairi's soft but quick chant. Centering himself, Link stared at the target and released the small nut, noticing that it glowed with a faint light. The small nut flew through the air passing through the drain and impacting in the gardens almost instantly. At that moment Saria and Kairi finished the spell, creating a small temporary bridge for the group across the moat. Dashing out from the shadows of the wall, the travelers ran for the door. Brad, having reached the door first, quickly opened the door and slipped inside with his friends trailing after him. After shutting the door, Brad realized just how difficult it would be to get to the library.

For instead of all the knights rushing to the area of impact, only those nearest had gone to investigate, while many of the others stood guard with their weapons drawn blocking the pathways of the garden. But what shocked Brad the most was that mixed among the Hylian knights stood six Gerudos in light leather armor with scimitars drawn. But before he could discount the Gerudos as simple grunts he noticed upon their armor the emblem of the elite guard, effectively marking them as Iron Knuckles. Brad felt his blood begin to boil, but before he could do anything stupid Wraith bit him, grabbing his attention. Ripping his gaze from the Gerudos, he noticed that the forest children were making their way through the garden's trees so silently they might as well not have been there, and Naomi was moving silently from shadow to shadow with more ease than he thought possible. Shaking his head, Brad gave Wraith a pat on the head before following after his friends.

Creping through the neatly groomed garden, Link and his friends heard a soft tune drifting across the wind. With the sound of the music and the Hylian knights' shifting armor, any noise that they made was masked. But with such little cover to use, the group had to move carefully. After a few minutes of stealthily moving through the garden, the group arrived at the edge of the garden. Standing at the end of the garden, there was a stone courtyard with a gentle fountain bubbling. But what drew the group's attention was a girl of about seventeen with long blonde hair hanging freely down her back, held in order by a crystal tiara that sat upon her head. The older girl wore a long pink and white dress with a blue sash tied around her waist. She stood with her eyes closed as she played a soft and gentle lullaby on a blue ocarina marked with a small Triforce. In front of the pink clad girl stood a Gerudo of what looked to be eighteen clad in black leather armor. His skin had a slight green tint to it, clashing with his bright red hair, at his hip hung a black sheathed scimitar. Looking at the scene, Link thought that the Gerudo could be a statue with how still he was standing and the undivided attention that was placed on the blonde girl, but the slight movement of his shoulders convinced him the older teen was breathing.

As the song drew to a close, a shout rang out through the small courtyard abruptly ending the girl's gentle song. The intruders turned their attention to the shout to see a tall woman with white hair and crimson eyes striding out into the courtyard, drawing from her belt a long white bladed dagger. From the moment that she entered the courtyard her eyes never left the group's hiding spot. The white haired lady's shout drew the attention of the guards standing outside the garden and snapping the black clad Gerudo out of his intense concentration. The sound of running boots was quickly heard as the soldiers stationed in the garden came rushing into the courtyard. Link, acting quickly, took out three Deku Nuts and threw them onto the ground, blinding all the people in the courtyard.

Bursting from the bushes where they had hidden, Link and his friends raced out into the courtyard and raced inside the castle. From the courtyard they heard a voice yelling out, "After them! Catch those assassins before they reach the Kings!" A strong voice sounded from the courtyard.

"Lady Impa, please take the princess and the Gerudo prince to the great hall. We shall catch these assassins." A soldier proclaimed; his voice muffled by the metal helmet that he wore.

Labeled as assassins, everyone suddenly found themselves running faster than they had gone before. From the garden's court, the group ran from the soldiers, who after recovering their eyesight from the flash gave chase after the fleeing children with all the eagerness and bllodlust of a hunt. After turning a corner, Naomi began to mutter a spell, and from behind them a wall of fire emerged from the ground, rising up about seven feet into the air. Smiling in satisfaction, Naomi rounded the next corner and chased after her friends, having slowed to cast the spell.

"We need to get to the third level, that's where the entrance to the library is!" Altair shouted. With blood pounding in their ears, the group gave a small nod and headed towards one of the many staircases. Racing up the steps, Link and Saria's ears picked up a shattering sound that originated from the main floor below them just as Naomi stumbled on a step.

"Someone broke my spell!" Naomi said with panic beginning to creep into her voice.

"It doesn't matter. We lost them." Brad replied as they exited the stairwell and entered the third floor. But as they rounded the first corner, they ran into a patrol of twenty knights. "And we just found new ones."

Link quickly threw down another Deku Nut, temporarily blinding the guards. Turning around, Link led the group back the way they had come. As he passed the staircase that they had used before, he heard the sound of boots and armor. Bypassing the stairs, the group ran further down the hall, searching for another case of stairs.

With shouts echoing from behind them, guards from the upper levels of the castle started to pour down from hidden stairwells. With the way to the library blocked by chasing knights, and with the way above quickly being closed, Altair led the group into one of the many rooms on the floor. Inside the empty room lay a giant table with high backed chairs, but the large table was quickly forgotten, because across the room was another door. "This is the King's council room, it connects the east and west wings of the castle. We'll cross to the other side of the castle and hide out until we can make our way to the library." Altair explained.

Carefully Wraith exited the room and, after scouting out the hallway, he took off down the hall to scout the next corner. "The hallway is clear. Let's go!" Brad said, getting curious looks from his friends. Realizing what he just said, he quickly shook his head and ran out the door with his friends following him. With most of the guards focusing on the search on the east wing, the intruders were able to make their way through the castle much easier. Finding a stair case, they decided that it would be best to hide out in floors below.

Moving down the staircase, they made their way down to the first floor, only to find themselves face to face with a section of guards stationed at the bottom of the staircase. Reacting quickly, Link and his friends vaulted over the rails that lined the staircase. Recovering from their shock, the knights let out a loud shout and gave chase to the fleeing intruders, with one of the knights shouting up the stairs that the intruders were on the main level. With the entire castle alerted to their location, it was time to find a way out of the castle. Better to be free than to be locked in a dungeon. Link looked around for any door that might be an exit. He suddenly spotted a large door that was guarded by four men, two Hylian knights, and two Gerudo Iron Knuckles dressed in their lighter armor.

With their options extremely limited, Link suddenly made headway for the door, with his friends following his lead. Link and Saria tackled the Hylian knights, knocking them off their feet and sending them into the realms of unconsciousness as Altair and Kairi whacked the fallen knights across their heads. Brad, with Naomi and Wraith, leaped upon the Gerudos and with a few fierce blows they, too, fell unconscious. Moving quickly, Link and Brad shoved open the heavy door and once everyone had entered, they shoved the door closed, thinking that they had made it outside at last.

But that thought was shattered almost instantly when a sudden sound of metal on metal caused the adrenaline laden party to look up, only to see that they were not outside, but rather in a large hall filled with both Hylian and Gerudo guards with swords and spears armed, pointing at the group of children. The hall was made of the same bright white stone that made up the walls of the castle. The walls were tall, stretching thirty feet high with bright polished gold chandeliers shining from the high vaulted ceiling. In the middle of the hall stood a large rectangular table with richly decorated chairs, gilded with gold and intricate designs. At the table sat seven people, four on one side and three on the other.

On the right side of the table stood a man with golden hair and beard holding a trace of silver in it. He stood decked out with a large golden crown that sparkled with jewels glinting in the light, a large gold-stitched, red robe tied with a white sash hung about his shoulders, obscuring his frame. Seated next to him sat a woman in a dark pink dress with bright golden hair placed in a bun encircled by a slim white-gold crown, she carried a grace and peace about her. Next to her sat an old grey haired man dressed in rich blue robes with some gold scrollwork sewn into the sleeves. All of whom stared at the children in shock.

On the left side of the table was a tall man with a green olive like tint to his skin and bright red, fire-like hair. He wore black metal pauldrons and black iron gauntlets over a richly decorated black and tan tunic. His long black pants covered his black steel covered boots. He was currently staring at the children with a calculating look with one hand resting on his long black handled sword. Next to him, already on her feet, with her hands glowing a strange orange, was a woman with long red hair tied in a ponytail and tanned skin. She was dressed in white pantaloons tied with a red sash along with a red tunic topped with a white gold embroidered vest. She stood protectively in front of two smaller children who seemed to be about seven years old, each of whom had a slight green tint to their skin similar to, but considerably less, than the tall black armored man.

Finally regaining his senses, the man in the large red robe shouted out, "Seize them!" To which the Hylian Knights, decked out in their silver and blue armor, responded rushing forward with swords and spears drawn. The man dressed in black armor signaled to the Gerudo guards to circle around his family while he stepped toward the group with a heavy purposeful stride. In response to the rushing guards, Link started to draw his sword and shield, but from a quick shake of Altair's head he lowered his weapons to the ground. Following his lead, everyone placed their weapons in a pile, causing the rushing guards to slow their advance. As the knights came to a halt, surrounding the small group of seven, the tall man in black commanded the knights to bring the children forward so that they may be questioned. The knights were slow to respond but after one look from the black clad man and the slight glow of purple light that glowed from his hands, they quickly prodded the disarmed friends toward the large table.

As the intruders was being brought forward to the table, the door to the great hall burst open as what seemed to be half the castle's guards, entered with their swords drawn. "There they are men. Kill the assassins!" A guard shouted with the same metallically muffled voice that was heard in the gardens.

But before the guards had taken even one step the man in black armor turned around fixing the castle guards with a hard look freezing them at the doorway. "I think that we can handle the situation, especially since you and your compatriots let these children infiltrate into the very heart of your castle. And do not fear for our safety, for if these children do mean harm to any of us here, then I will personally return them to the earth. Understood?" The man said in a voice that echoed with power and confidence.

"I understand King Ganondorf, but I implore you to be careful. Your majesties, your children are on their way back here with Lady Impa." The guard said as he saluted the foreign king. Turning about on his heel, he ordered his men back to their posts. Ganondorf gave a small nod to the guard before he returned to his seat amongst his family. When he was seated, he turned his gaze back to the group of children who were standing nervously at the foot of the table.

With the children in front of him the man in the large red robe spoke in a considerably calmer tone than he had used earlier. "My guards claim that you are assassins, but I will not pass judgment so rashly on you. Now, tell me children, who you are and why you have entered my castle without permission. Speak quickly, for if your reason is sufficient, you will only be placed in the dungeons for the duration of our conference."

"Tell us your name and the name of your friends first. We won't be judged by a man with no name!" Link said with confidence in his voice, his statement causing the guards to stiffen around him and for the black clad man's curious gaze to sharpen in intensity.

The man in the large red robe gave the children an incredulous look before nodding. "You have great courage young one, but your ignorance is even greater still, you must have lived in a tree to not know who I am. Nonetheless, I am Nohansen, King of Hyrule." The man said with pride. "This is my wife and queen Elaida, and my chief councilor." The king said as he gestured to the lady and elder gentlemen seated to his left. "My guests are Gerudos from the desert. This is Ganondorf, King of the Gerudos. His wife Nabooru and their two youngest children, Gaul and Aviendah," The king said, gesturing to the tanned skinned family seated on the opposite end of the table, taking notice of quick dark glare that Brad and his friends directed at the desert dwellers. "Their eldest son, Kieran, is on his way back here with my daughter Zelda. Now tell me who you are." Nohansen commanded in a tone that carried all the authority of his crown.

Naomi, as the only one with anything approaching courtly manners introduced the group. "My name is Naomi Flugel, I hail from Lon Lon Ranch where I live and work with my uncle Talon and my cousin Malon. This is Brad Hunter from the Reynard Village." The Hylian king's eyes sharpened at the blue clad boy and the black fox that accompanied him, while the Gerudo king looked greatly pleased for some reason. Hurrying on as she noticed both of the kings had suddenly become much more focused she gestured towards the green clad children. "And this is Link and Saria with their guardian fairies, Altair and Kairi." (1)

"Are you two Kokiri?" Gaul asked with excitement. "Papa has told me about how a Kokiri once saved the land from itself." The boy said as he rambled on, but was quickly silenced with a look from his mother.

Suddenly Link felt the attention on the group slip from Brad to him and Saria. He wasn't sure but he suddenly felt as if he was being weighed and measured as if he were a piece of land. "It has been a long time since the world has last seen a Kokiri. What would drive out two from their forest when none have ventured out in the last several hundred years?" Nabooru asked.

"That is none of your business." Saria exclaimed. "The Lost Woods are in neither of your jurisdiction, so you have no right, nor need to know what goes on in our home." Nabooru gave a small nod of acknowledgement and held her tongue, but her eyes showed the questions that she still wanted to ask.

"While that may be true, you have yet to answer the original question. Why are you here?" Ganondorf inquired eager to get to the heart of the matter.

Altair answered the question, capturing the attention of the royal court. "Well, you see, I like to read and so do my friends, and when we arrived in the city I heard about how your great library holds mountains of books. So I convinced my charge and his friends to sneak into the castle with me." Altair said playing on the assumption that they were curious children unwise to the ways of the world.

"That is a strange reason for entering into a locked and guarded castle, but how do you explain the weapons that you carry? I see no reason for children to be carrying such weapons." Nohansen said. "But regardless of that, I do believe that you must go to the dungeons, until I have time to effectively devote to your situation." The king added as he signaled for the guards to take the children to the dungeon.

"Nohansen, I think that I would like to give these children a trial and judgment. It would be fair, and they would not have to wait for who knows how long for a trial at your hands." Ganondorf proposed.

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow that Ganondorf. After all, they snuck into my castle and they are my subjects so it is for me to judge and decide their fate."

"Have you forgotten what the Kokiri girl said? Neither of us can claim them as our subjects, for their home lay outside both our realms. And the boy with the fox is a tribesman, a Hylian that does not claim allegiance to you, one of the very reasons that we have been arguing over these past weeks. So it would be better if I gave a trial. As for the red haired girl, well we have just as many dealings with Lon Lon Ranch as you do. I can give them a faster trial and judgment than you can so why not let me do it?" Ganondorf argued.

"Because they snuck into _my_ castle and have to face the punishment that _I_ will set for them." Nohansen said with a smooth clipped tone.

"Father, why not let Kieran and I give them the trial while you and our guests continue to work out the treaty?" A voice proposed from the shadows in a corner. Turning around quickly, Link and his friends recognized the person as the ocarina playing girl from the garden, the group noticed the white haired lady and the boy in black flanking the girl as she walked into the hall.

The Hylian king nodded his head in quick agreement before he turned his attention back to Ganondorf, dismissing the intruders from his mind. Altair quirked an eyebrow at the king's quick agreement, but no one could deny that the girl's plan had merit, and would solve all the obvious issues that the kings had brought up. "Remember, son. Keep our people in mind." Ganondorf said before returning his attention to the red clad Hylian king.

Curtsying to her father, the girl motioned for the travelers to follow her. As they passed by their weapons on the floor, they paused and, after a nod from who Link could only assume was Zelda, they quickly gathered their gear and followed after her and her guard. As they were walking out the door, Saria heard the kings arguing over a marriage between Kieran and Zelda, one which Ganondorf seemed to be against.

Walking along after her, they soon found themselves in a small sitting room with several small couches and chairs. Gesturing for the group to take a seat, the girl began the introductions. "My name is Zelda, the crown princess of Hyrule. And this is Kieran, Ganondorf's first born son, and the future king of the Gerudo people. And the lady with white hair is my personal guard, Lady Impa, one of the last Shiekah." Zelda said as she sat down with Kieran holding his hand all the while. Taking a closer look at Kieran, Brad noticed the green tint to his skin and deep brown eyes crackling with a restrained dark power, as he sat silently next to the princess, looking as if he were ready to spring to action at any second.

After settling her skirts about her Zelda, suddenly took a closer look at each of the intruders, causing each of the small group to suddenly sweat as the princess took on a commanding presence. "I heard your explanation as to why you have come to the castle and I am not entirely satisfied." Zelda said, drawing looks of confusion from most of the group, but Altair simply gave a nod to the Shiekah. "I do not believe anyone would be so foolhardy as to sneak into the castle just for a book, and while the easy answer would be to simply name you assassins, I know for a fact that you are not. A vision came to me during my father's interrogation of you. So tell me the truth, why are you here?"

Link took a look at Altair and Kairi for guidance; after receiving a nod from them and a reassuring squeeze on the hand from Saria, he gathered his courage and launched into the tale. Zelda, Kieran, and Impa all paid attention as the forest boy told of how he was summoned by the Great Deku Tree and was sent to defeat the curse that was placed upon him by the greatest evil in the world that would have prevented him from passing on the duties of the sage. How after they had broken the curse, they were sent to retrieve the Kokiri Emerald that was stolen from the forest and return it to Navi the new sage of the forest. Link then told of their leaving the forest, keeping his connection to the wolfos to himself, and after leaving the forest with Saria and Kairi, they met up with Brad and Naomi at Reynard village, where they were attacked by Iron Knuckle who slaughtered the villagers. Here, Kieran rose up and denied this. "Impossible, if you were attacked by even one Iron Knuckle, then you would have all died."

Brad and Wraith leveled a dark glare at the tall orange haired boy. "I would expect denial from a cowardly thieving desert rat."

Kieran moved to stand, but a quick tug on the hand from the princess kept him seated, leveling a dark glare at the group and Brad in particular the dark teen spoke. "My people are not cowardly, we have lived under a curse for over eight hundred years that was slowly killing us, a curse that only now are we recovering from."

"My entire tribe was wiped out in one night by your people. I knew that Gerudo's were thieves, but you always had honor; but it seems that you have turned into liars and murders." Brad said with a falsely calm voice as he leaned in his chair with his hands gripping the hilts of his hidden knives. Staring all the while at the glowering Gerudo who's clenched fists erupted in black flames that seemed to absorb the light of the room.

But before anything happened Zelda spoke up. "Enough both of you!" Immediately both boys eased up. "I know that you believe that you saw Gerudo soldiers burning your tribe, but dark magic can often confuse the senses. Illusions can make one see what isn't there. But beyond the mysterious attack on the tribal village, that is quite a tale my young friends." The princess said as she turned her attention to the forest dwellers. "And I am surprised that this evil has reached into your forest. For you see, I have received a vision about this evil that you speak of, and I have taken steps to prevent it from spreading, but it seems that whoever is after the stones is willing to brave any danger to get them. I applaud you for your efforts and bravery in coming so far, but tell me what you plan on doing when you have one of the stones?"

Kairi spoke up, "Hide it, of course. Whoever took the Kokiri Emerald is probably after the Triforce, so all we need to do is hide one of the keys and then the thief will be blocked from reaching it." Altair gave his girlfriend a warm smile in acknowledgement.

"That is a safe plan, no one would argue with that, but it would be even safer to place the stones in a new guarded place. Perhaps the princess would be so kind to provide some protection on the stones. She is, after all, the sage of time and the most gifted mage I have ever met." Kieran proclaimed with a calmer voice and a slight gleam in his eyes earning a squeeze from Zelda.

"Really, I didn't know that the time sage had awoken. But regardless, I know that most of your powers are sealed by the Master Sword." Altair remarked drawing the attention and ire of Zelda.

"While that is true, I still have the ability to cast some time spells, any of which would prove deadly for many an opponent. But beyond that I do have a vast array of defensive and shielding spells, many of which will be able to hide and protect the stone. If you bring me the stones, I can place them under my protection and thus stopping the evil." Zelda explained getting a few reluctant nods agreement from the group.

"So, can you tell us where we might find the other spiritual stones?" Naomi asked, drawing Kieran's attention from Zelda. The dark skinned boy stared at her as if he was trying to remember something. Feeling his attention on her, Naomi realized that he was not actually looking at her, but rather at her hair.

Zelda noticed this and after a touch from her, Kieran stopped staring at her red hair and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, but your hair reminded me of someone I met once." Naomi gave a nod before she and her friends turned their attention back to Zelda.

"Now that we have settled upon the plan, I shall tell you where you can find the other two spiritual stones. The first is the Spiritual Stone of Fire, the Goron's Ruby. It can be found at Death Mountain where the Gorons live. And the other, the Spiritual Stone of Water, Zora's Sapphire, is located in the Zora's Domain. Unfortunately, Gorons have not been on friendly terms with my people lately and so I cannot give you aid on getting the Ruby. I'm afraid that you are on your own with that one. But I am close friends with Ruto, the princess and holder of the Sapphire, so I should be able to secure and protect that stone by the time you have finished retrieving the Ruby." Zelda said with a smile on her face.

"Thank you for the information Princess. But before we go, who or what do you think the great evil is?" Link questioned.

"I don't know. For you see, there are many dark powers in the world. Some people use these powers for evil while others have gained control and mastery over the power, wielding them to the benefit of others. Ganondorf and Kieran harness an enormously powerful dark and forbidden power more dangerous than the Fused Shadow. And Impa here commands a power that is darkness incarnate. Evil is not always blatant so I cannot say for certain, but whoever stole your emerald is doubtlessly very powerful and should not be trifled with."

Link stood from his seat with his friends following his lead, and after giving Saria a hand up he thanked the princess. "It was my pleasure." She said before she shifted her attention to the shadows. "Impa, if you don't mind. Could you take our guests out of the castle safely and quietly?" The white haired Shiekah gave a nod before beckoning the small group of travelers into the shadows with her. The group walked towards her, noticing Zelda turning her focus onto her Gerudo friend. As they joined Impa in the shadows, Naomi felt a strange familiar bit of magic surrounding her before the group vanished without a sound as they traveled through the shadows quickly exiting the castle and appearing once more on the plains.

Impa stood tall in front of the heavily disorientated group before speaking. "Death Mountain is a month's journey from here on foot. Before you attempt to climb the mountain, be sure to restock on supplies in Kakariko village. It guards the entrance and exit to the pass on Death Mountain." Impa advised. "If you mention that I have sent you, the people of the village will surely provide you with whatever supplies that you need."

Impa turned to leave, but before she had gone a step, Altair gave her a call. "Hey Impa, have you found a solution to your problem?"

The white haired Sheikah turned and looked back at the golden fairy. "I have found a way to save my people. It was nice seeing you Altair." And with that and a flash bomb, Zelda's guard vanished again.

"What was that about?" Kairi asked her boyfriend.

"Nothing, that's just how she likes to vanish," Altair replied.

Link, after regaining his wits, took out his ocarina and played _Midlights Echo_. The haunting melody echoed across the plains before howls started to sound. Finally at the end of the song, a long howl sounded from behind the group. Turning around, Link saw the large grey wolfos from the maze appeared. "Hello Perrin, did you enjoy your hunt?"

"_Decent game is sparse around the cold stone forest. But it will get better the farther out we are from this place._" Perrin replied. "_I am eager for the next leg of the journey. I feel something drawing me to the mountains to the east._" Perrin said as he pointed east to the mountains surrounding Death Mountain. "_But I will not abandon my king, I will continue to travel and protect you. Now let us be on our way, I want to put myself at as much distance as I can from these strange cold trees._" (2)

Link gave a nod of thanks to the wolfos before speaking. "Actually we are going to Death Mountain, so maybe you will find out whatever is calling you." Link said as he and his friends started on their way to Death Mountain.

**That is the end of chapter nine the other half of chapter eight.**

**I have revised and reposted chapters one and two, and strongly recommend my readers to read them and give me their opinions on the revised chapters. **

**This chapter was written fairly fast, and as I have already said this chapter was once combined with chapter eight. **

**As you may have noticed the infiltration into the castle was quite different, but I wrote it the way I did for various reasons, which if you have been reading carefully you will probably have picked up on. **

**Many new characters have been introduced in this chapter, so for convenience here is a small bio of Kieran, one of my new OCs. He is eighteen years old and is the eldest son of Ganondorf and Nabooru. And yes he has dark magic like his father.**

**1) The reason Naomi didn't give Link's or Saria's full names is that she just learned them and isn't used to using them.**

**2) Remember Perrin is a wolfos, he describes things differently.**

**The worst part about writing this chapter was the chase scene, but I am glad that I have finished this chapter, but do not expect the next one to come out as fast, because I am back in college. Also I am planning on working a little on my other fiction.**

**Be sure to leave a review I am always glad for feedback. **


	10. Familiars

Everyone Dies

Ch10

**Hello readers.**

**It has been over a year since I started writing this fanfic, and I am pleased to say that it is still going strong. Although I have taken a lengthy break from the story, it was only because I was consumed by another story. All apologies aside, I have a lot of ideas for this story and I am pleased to present to you the tenth chapter of **_**Everyone Dies**_**, and the start of the Goron Ruby arc, which will be different from the game in several ways.**

**I'd like to thank Brown Phantom, msfcatlover, TKB17, and Fenrir the Fire Wolf for their reviews, as well as all those who have added this story onto their favorites.**

**Also, belated thanks to HICHIGOvsworld for your ideas. I will keep them in mind as I move the story forward.**

**Note that this chapter takes place in September. It is important to keep the seasons in mind.**

**I do not own the Legend of Zelda, I do own the plot for this story and the OC's that I have created.**

-Foot of Death Mountain-

After a month of travel, the group had finally reached the roots of the mountain. It had been a strangely tense month for the group. Although Altair had reunited with the group, a strange cloud of tension hung over them. Brad had become severely withdrawn from everyone, talking very little everyday and merely whispering whenever he did, as though he had knowledge of someone spying on him. He never spent time with Wraith anymore; in fact, he seemed to almost hide from the little fox, forcing Wraith to stay with Naomi. And the only time that he seemed alive with energy was when he and Link sparred and practiced the new skills and moves that Altair was able to teach them. Naomi was naturally quite concerned about this, but any and all attempts to ease what was wrong were met with a weak smile and an assurance that everything was alright.

Link and Saria, while exceedingly happy to have Altair finally back with them, couldn't shake the feeling that they were being hunted. But when Link had sent Perrin to scout out their back trail to see if they were being followed, the large Wolfos had claimed that there was nothing within a day's run following them. Although this reassured Kairi and Saria, Link and Altair were far from pacified, as Link remembered Altair remarking how he was being hunted when he was separated from the group.

As the weeks went by, Link had asked Perrin about the other Wolfos tribes. The information that he had received was far from comforting. It seemed that since he was born and raised in the forest, the forest Wolfos and their cousins on the plains readily accepted him since they knew his character and will by word of mouth from the Wolfos that lived near the Kokiri Village. The Wolfos of the desert would quickly accept him once they learned that he had killed a few Iron Knuckles. But the Wolfos in the arctic and the sleek, noble black Wolfos were likely to be the hardest to ally. Apparently, both groups were hard to deal with and would require that he pass some tests before they pledged their allegiance to their new king. In preparation of these tests, Perrin suggested getting used to his wolf body. And so, for the last two weeks, Link spent at least three hours every day in his wolf form, learning all kinds of battle skills and tricks while boosting his strength and endurance by running long distances. But seeing Link transform freely between wolf and Hylian seemed to only drive Brad further into his shell.

Amongst this anxious group of travelers, the only ones that seemed to be completely at ease were Kairi and Saria; the former because she was finally getting to spend time with her boyfriend after so long. Saria, on the other hand, was enjoying her time with Link because it seemed his time as a wolf bolstered some of his instincts; instincts that resulted in him growing more affectionate towards her, judging by his expressions and his actions. But despite their ease, they could not act oblivious towards the tension that hung over the rest of the group.

They all hoped that their arrival at Kakariko Village would bring an end to the strange pressure that seemed to be following them ever since they left Castle Town. After they crossed a bridge spanning the Zora River, Link told Perrin to scout and hunt as they made their way to the stairs that lead to Kakariko Village.

"_I would like to go exploring the mountains to the east. I feel something pulling me there._" Link gave his assent, agreeing to summon the big Wolfos in case anything comes up.

It wasn't long before they reached the roots of the mountain. About fifty people hard at work were hacking at the mountain with pickaxes, putting the loose rocks into horse drawn carts that were then lead up the trail towards Kakariko Village.

Link and Saria stopped to stare at the strange work being done by the Hylians. Naomi recognized that stare on the two's faces; it had grown all too familiar with she and Brad, who have already had to explain many aspects of life outside the forest. She was quick to explain, answering before Link and Saria could inquire about it, "They are mining. It's something that Hylians do by digging into the earth to look for metals, like gold and silver. But these guys are not actually mining anything except for rocks. You see, Kakariko conducts a steady stream of trade with the Gorons. For certain kinds of rocks, rope, and cloth, the Gorons give the Hylians some high quality iron and steel."

Link, after thinking over the situation and comparing it to what he learned from the forest responded, "I understand the idea of trade; we used to do the same with toys that we made in the forest. But why would anyone want rocks? I mean, they're everywhere."

Naomi sighed, before turning to Altair who was resting on Link's hat with Kairi, "Why don't you two explain about the Gorons? I'm sure you have had more contact with them than I have."

Altair gave a nod before flying off of Link's hat, straightening his coat and turning his attention to the two children. "Well, the first thing you must understand is that the Gorons are in fact a different race. They are not like the Gerudo, Hylians, or Kokiri at all. In fact, they are one of the more unique races that dwell in the land. They are sometimes known as the Sons of the Mountain.(1) They're about ten feet tall, although some among them are much bigger than that. In fact, there's one at the top of the mountain that I'll have to introduce you guys to. Umm…what else…they're brown skinned with large bodies and really strong arms and legs, and it looks like they have large rocks embedded into their backs. They're pretty slow on foot, but like to move by tucking into a ball and rolling, which is much faster than any of us can move. Trust me, you do not want to be in the way of a rolling Goron." Link and Saria chuckled to themselves, picturing the thought of somebody being chased by a rolling Goron.

Altair continued, "Above all, they're known for crafting weapons and stone masons. They built Hyrule Castle, in fact. They need rocks because it constitutes their diet." Link opened his mouth to ask a question, but Altair hushed him.

"Since we don't eat rocks, we could never tell the difference, but a Goron's taste buds are well adapted to sensing different minerals within a rock. Even though two different rocks would likely just taste the same to us, those two rocks, to a Goron, could taste as different as…chocolate and asparagus, for example. Most of them have a strong preference for rocks from Dodongo Cavern. The rocks these Hylians are mining are, if I remember correctly, ones they use to spice their food, to add variety to their diet." After the golden fairy finished speaking, he noticed that his small speech had even captured Brad's attention. "So, any questions?"

Saria quickly spoke up, before anyone else could, "You said they are called the Sons of the Mountain. Aren't there any females?"

Altair gave a nod to the green haired girl before answering the question. "That's a good question. Truth is, while there are female Gorons, most visitors don't see them. They usually work in the background; tending to the bomb flowers, forging armor, and whatnot. The male Gorons are the ones who typically deal with strangers, just in case they turn out to be hostile. Besides, male and female Gorons look very alike. You probably wouldn't be able to see the difference without inspecting them closely. Although I don't think they'd take too kindly to that."

"How much time did you spend among the Gorons? It almost sounds like you were one of them yourself." Kairi questioned as she flew over to Saria's shoulder.

"I spent quite a number of years among them, learning how to forge weapons and armor. I always thought they were a simple race, but I was surprised. They're a lot more sophisticated than most give them credit for. But that's irrelevant, because it seems that we have arrived."

Surprised, the rest looked around them, confirming that they had actually covered a lot of distance during their lesson. During Altair's explanation, the group had walked up the stairs leading to the village. Once they passed through the wooden palisade that acted as a gate for the village, they noticed that the village seemed to be layered. The shops and the nearest buildings seemed to be built on level ground, but the other houses and buildings looked as if they were built into the mountainside or were built on wedges of cleared land. The buildings were nearly all made out of wood and plaster, with either red or purpled tiled roofs. In front of them stood a few small trees that had a hardy look to them; surrounding the trees were a few multistory houses. Further in the distance, Link and Saria heard the sound of running water, which they assumed came from a spring or a well. Standing at the top of the village was a giant building, three or four stories in stature. The building had four large blades covered in cloth; Link and Saria had heard about windmills from Naomi, but had never actually seen one until now. It was just as large and majestic as Naomi had described, and the slowly spinning blades were almost hypnotic in nature. Looking to the right of the windmill, they noticed a small stone arch that appeared to lead to a separate part of the village. To their left were more buildings; these had actually been built on a higher level and could only be accessed by the stairs.(2) But before they could take a closer look, Naomi started walking towards one of the buildings hastily with a scowl on her face, as though the sooner they left, the better.

Shaking themselves from their stupor, Link and Saria quickly dashed after Naomi, leaving Brad to slowly catch up with Wraith, who hung back and stared at his master with an unwavering glare. After they caught up with their red haired friend, they noticed that she had entered an inn where she quickly paid for two rooms; one for the boys and one for the girls. The two Kokiri (3) watched as Naomi angrily made her way up the stairs. Curious at their friend's strange behavior, they followed her upstairs.

"Naomi," Link asked, concern and a slight hint of impatience etched into his expression and his voice, "ever since we entered the village, you've been in a bad mood. What's the matter?" Naomi remained silent, keeping her back turned.

"Naomi, we're not mad at you," Saria reassured, throwing a small glare Link's way, "It's just that … well, we are worried about you. Does this have something to do with Brad?" Saria asked in a gentle voice, trying to calm their friend.

Kairi noticed a slight flinch every time that they mentioned the village and a noticeable twitch about her shoulders whenever Brad was mentioned. All the teen's body language spoke of a troubled memory.

"It's just that ever since we left Castle Town, Brad has become secretive. He's hiding something, and he won't let me or anyone else help him. I just … I miss the closeness that we shared." Naomi whispered out.

Link and Saria gave a nod while Altair looked at the girl skeptically, suspecting that something else was going on, but not very sure what. While Kairi had a fairly good idea about what was troubling Naomi, she felt that it was best if it came out on its own.

After Naomi pulled herself together, the group exited the inn, where they found Brad leaning against the wall of the building waiting for them. After some discussion, it was decided that they would split up to shop for their supplies and meet back at the inn in two hours, then scout out the mountain trail before heading back to their rooms for the night. With the plan decided, the group splintered off, with Brad and Naomi strolling towards a food store, an uncomfortable silence hovering over them. Glancing uneasily at their older friends, Link and Saria headed off into the town, searching for some replacements for the equipment that had been lost or damaged during their journey to Kakariko.

After two hours of searching, shopping, and haggling, the group met up at the inn. After they stored the food and supplies that they bought, they made their way through the town. When they reached the end of the town, they noticed that there was yet another palisade barring the way. The differences between this one and the one at the entrance was that this one had the gate closed with a royal Hylian Knight standing guard, armor polished and shining despite the dying light, as well as the gate being made entirely out of metal.

While he was curious at the need to post a guard at a town's gate, Link quickly dismissed the question and moved toward the gate on the palisade. But before Link was even within five feet of the metal gate, the guard quickly lowered his spear, barring the way. "Sorry kids, no one is allowed up the mountain. Not unless they have the permission of the g-princess."

"Why the princess? I thought that the king was in control of the army?" Altair asked.

"The king is teaching his daughter the arts of ruling. And, between you and me, she's been much better at managing the army than the king ever was. So, unless you have the seal of the princess, I am not allowed to let anyone up this mountain."

"Are you sure that you can't let us by?" Naomi asked suspiciously.

"I am positive. Now go and scamper along and go and sing with little Lonnie and Mellissa." The royal knight said condescendingly, patting Link on the head and shooing him and his friends away, ignoring the sharp glare sent his way from Link.

Walking away from the guard, Link muttered under his breath about pig headed guards and know-it-all princesses. Turning around, Link gave the guard yet another glare growling at the annoying man. The guard simply waved at the green clad boy, but his friends all gave him strange looks. "What?"

"Link, … you just growled like a Wolfos at that man." Naomi said in a slightly worried voice.

Realizing what he had just done, the boy dropped his gaze in shame. Saria reached over and gave him a hug. "It's alright Link, it just means that you are becoming more in tune with your wolf side. There's nothing to be ashamed of; it is perfectly normal for you." Link lifted his head and gave her a smile before returning the hug. After he released her, she grabbed his hand and held on to it. "Since we are obviously not going to be moving forward anytime soon, what do you suggest that we do?" The green haired girl asked her friends.

Surprisingly it was Brad who spoke up first. "I guess the obvious answer is to head back to Hyrule to get a letter. But if we do, we waste at least two months just for a piece of paper. And by the time we get back, there might be the risk of snow and the trip up the mountain will be dangerous. Whatever we do, it would be best if we do it quickly."

The group gave a nod of assent before they turned their thoughts to bypassing the guard. Naomi was the first to speak up. "Well we could always just knock out the guard and make our way up the mountain."

Link and Saria shook their heads ruefully at their friend, before Link explained the problem. "It would be an option if we could get in and out quickly, but Altair said that it would take a couple days to hike up the mountain and we have no idea how long it will take to get the ruby once we get there. So by the time we finish what we need to do, the guard will have already awakened and we'll be caught when we need to come back. The first rule of pranking is to always have an escape plan."

Naomi, Brad, and Altair looked at the two with slight suspicion, before Altair asked the obvious question. "You guys caused a lot of trouble back home, didn't you?" Their answers were a pair of innocent smiles from the two green clad children that no one found believable. Kairi shook her head in misery as she smiled fondly at her charge.

Seeing that they weren't going anywhere tonight, Brad started to walk to a house that had been pointed out to him when he asked about getting some more knives. Seeing Brad leaving the others quickly caught up with him and after climbing a few staircases, they reached one of the highest levels of the village where a simple house stood. Whereas most houses had large gardens in the back, this one appeared to have a forge, along with a couple of heavily scarred wooden targets formed in the shape of bodies. And along the edge of the property grew a few small vegetables, but what was the most shocking for the Kokiri was the large apple tree that grew near the corner of the backyard.

Brad quickly walked to the door of the house which they noticed was engraved with four creatures, two of which they all readily recognized; a white falcon and a pink crane. But the other two creatures on the door were unfamiliar to the group. One was yet another pink creature; bird shaped, although it had no feathers. The other, which was green, appeared to be a long sinuous creature; almost snake-like, but with four clawed legs; its skin appeared to be covered in scales. Knocking on the door, they heard a shouted 'hold on'. After a minute of waiting, the group was met with a short woman, who seemed to be only slightly taller than Naomi herself. The woman before them had long brown hair tied in a pony tail, held by a pink ribbon. She wore a flour covered white apron over an off-white blouse, that showed a slight bulge around the stomach, and a long red skirt decorated with stitched pink blossoms. On her left hand sat a gold band with a pink tinted diamond.

After scanning over the children, she noticed a few things that immediately caught her eye. One was Brad standing stiffly, trying to ignore the stare that Wraith was directing at his back. The other, was the wild, near-feral look that Link's eyes had slowly taken over the month of travel. "Can I help you?"

Brad quickly responded. "Yes, I heard from some of the shop owners that the best knives are made here. And I was kind of hoping that I could buy some."

"Alright then, you can come in. My husband is in the back. He and Clefspeare are working at the forge, so you can go and see him about what kind of knives you want." And with that, the lady of the house led the group of travelers through the house before they reached the back door.

Once they entered the backyard, the woman quickly led the group to the forge where one could see a tall man with a lithe build stripped to the waist with only a long heavy leather vest covering his chest. In his hands, he held a sword which was being heated by flames coming from the strange green sinuous creature depicted on the door of the house. Hearing footsteps, the man after examining the blade tossed it into a barrel of water, which quickly let out a hiss of steam.

Turning from the steaming barrel, he noticed his wife standing in front of what was easily the strangest group he had ever seen. Two boys, one with a long blue coat and black pants with a special fox trailing after him, the other dressed in a green tunic and dark green cargo pants was just as strange seeing the golden fairy that hovered over his shoulder. The girl with green hair also had a fairy, and the only normal looking one happened to be a girl with the brightest red hair he had ever seen standing with a bow slung over her back and a quiver at her hip.

Glancing over to his wife, he received a knowing nod and a subtle movement to the two boys. "How may I help you young ones?" The man asked as the green creature flew from his position and landed on his shoulders curling around his neck, to which he gave a casual scratch to its head.

Brad stepped forward and, after introducing himself and his friends, explained that he was looking for some new knives, particularly ones that could handle magic yet had enough sturdiness for battle. But as he was explaining what he needed, his eyes were drawn to the green creature around his neck, and after a moment he looked up only to see a pure white falcon and a pink crane sitting next to each other staring at him. Also among the rafters sat the strange pink bird-like creature, which sat on a nest on top of an egg, who was staring at him with sharp eyes.

Swallowing, Brad asked a question that had bugged him ever since he first laid eyes on those creatures. "What are they?"

The man smiled as he and his wife moved into the house, motioning the group to follow them; the falcon and crane swooping into the building ahead of the group, while the green creature flew off of the man's shoulders and curled itself around the strange nesting creature. The man quickly dashed upstairs as everybody else settled down inside. Returning downstairs in new clothes, the man stood as the group gasped. He wore, along with the black boots and pants, a long open green coat with a white shirt; this was the man from the inn back in Hyrule.

After sitting down, the man explained, "First things first. My name is Thomas Oliver and this is my wife Kimberly. Our two children aren't home because they are spending the night at a friend's house. Now, these animals, the ones you are referring to, are special creatures called familiars. And they are very rare; not many people ever acquire familiars, so they have, in effect, disappeared into legend."

"But what are familiars, exactly?" Brad asked with a curious look in his eye as he glanced at Wraith. Naomi reached over and gave his hand a squeeze, calming him a little.

Kimberly quickly answered the question, "They are animals of magic that bond to one of the main races of Hyrule. They are as intelligent as you are and should be treated with respect. They can change their size at will as well as take on their partner's magical ability, or in some cases bestow some magical talent."

"So familiars are like guardian fairies?" Saria asked.

"Actually, while the bond is similar, there are a few marked differences. From what I've read about the last Kokiri that left the forest, guardian fairies typically seem to take the role of guides for the children, while familiars are often battle companions as opposed to guides." Thomas replied, not realizing that the two fairies in front of him were in fact some of the greatest fighters in the forest.

"So is it normal for them to talk to you? You know … in your mind?" Brad asked, with a great deal of fear lacing his voice.

Thomas and Kimberly grinned, "Ah, so that is why you are ignoring your familiar. Actually, yes it is, and from what we have experienced, it is actually one of the hardest things for people to accept. I remember when Lynn first started to talk to me; I thought I was going insane," Kimberly responded. "By the way, how long has it been since you met your fox?"

"About two months." Brad replied with a smile as he felt a weight removed from his mind. Finally able to relax, he opened his mind to Wraith. "_I'm sorry._"

"_It's fine, just be sure to lighten up more. Your mate has been worried about you._" Wraith replied, leaving Brad with a heavy blush.

"How about physical changes and behavior? Can familiars influence personality?" Saria asked, curious if Link's situation could be compared to Brad's.

"Nothing major, as far as I know," Thomas responded, "He might get sharper eyes or increased aggression, but it all depends on the familiar. Now, enough about that; tell me about yourselves."

After the group had told their story to the couple, earning both praises and sympathy from the two adults, they convinced the adults to tell them about themselves.

"Well, my story begins far from here." Tommy said as he leaned back in his chair and gave his wife a tender squeeze on her hand. "I was born in a village about a week's ride from Castle Town, and as such we had a lot of traffic coming through our town. Many of them were Hylian knights. Now to a young boy who lived in a simple village, the sight and ideal of a knight was amazing. I was inspired, by the tales that were told of greatness and chivalry of the Hylian knights, to be something more than a simple farmer. I wanted to be one of the brave men that fought and protected our people."

"And so, when I turned twelve, I made my way to the capital, where I was enlisted into the Hylian army as a squire to one of the knights. His name was Sir John, and he was one of the best men that I have ever known, particularly because he was one of the only knights that actually lived his life with honor. I trained for five years under that man, learning how to fight with a multitude of weapons. John allowed me to form and create my own style to fight with, as opposed to the rigid and uniform style that most of the other knights and soldiers employed. After five years of training I was sent on a mission, that I was told would be my last test for knighthood."

"I was sent here to guard the path up Death Mountain. You see, it is the guard's job to protect the town from any monsters that would try to attack the town. But now the job has been altered; one needs either the permission of Princess Zelda, or an incentive to make one's way up the mountain." Thomas said as he held up a rupee, showing what he meant. "Anyway, I was sent here to guard the town from monsters. But I decided to do more than just be a leech on the town and started up a town watch that would be able to warn the town of any approaching monsters or enemies. After that, I attempted to start up the town militia, and began training them. That was when I met the love of my life." Here Thomas and Kimberly exchanged tender smiles before turning back to their guests.

"When I proposed the idea of a militia to the city, they seemed to like the idea, but refused to support it. I later found out that they didn't want an outsider training their men. Nevertheless, I went ahead with my plan and invited all the people that I could find to come and join the village militia. On the day of the training, there was only one person there. Kim here was standing outside my guard house dressed in her pink clothes, with a bow and quiver at her side, and a strange pink featherless bird-like creature perched on her shoulder that she introduced as Lynn. Despite my disappointment that no one else showed up, I did as promised and taught Kimberly here what I could."

"Over the next two months we became friends, and eventually I started to court her. The village was actually quite startled by this, having expected me to just sit quietly and watch the mountain. But they eventually got over it. When my time was up and my replacement arrived, I had managed to convince the man to switch shifts with me. It was actually ridiculously easy considering that switching guard duties and shifts is frowned upon."

Kimberly interrupted the tale with a smile on her face. "I believe you convinced him to go out and wander the plains while you watched over the quiet boring town."

"Very true. After all, for a soldier, being stuck in a sleepy town is the worst thing that can happen."

"Then, you're a soldier?" Link asked, as he recalled the guards that he saw while he and Saria wandered around Castle Town.

"Not entirely true," Thomas answered, "I was a squire, and squires, while we are better trained than the typical soldier and guards, are counted more as assistants. Besides, love makes one do crazy things. So while I convinced my replacement to switch duties with me, I had forgotten that I was to be knighted upon my return to Hyrule Castle. So when I didn't show up, they sent Sir John to find me. When he arrived in Kakariko Village, he found me while Kimberly and I were on one of our dates."

Thomas suddenly seemed a little down as he let the memories wash over him. "We had an argument. You see, while John was one of the best men that I have ever known, he was entirely devoted to Hyrule. He allowed nothing to come between him and his duty; almost a fanatic, actually. His loyalty was to his country first, while mine was to my heart. But as his squire, I was expected to act the same and be the same as him. John wanted me to return with him so that I could be knighted. But I knew that if I went, I'd never see Kimberly again. In the end, John left with an ultimatum; either I join him in the morning and continue my journey as a knight, or stay here without pay or any support. It was one of the hardest choices I've ever made, but in the end I am glad that I chose to stay, despite the difficulties that arose."

"But since I was staying, I was kicked out of the guardhouse. I had nowhere to go, no job to fall back on, and all I knew how to do was fight and farm. As we were on a mountain, farming was out of the question. As I made my way into the village to look for a job, I met Clefspeare." Seeing the confused looks on the children and teens, he hastened to explain.

"Clefsepeare is the green dragon that you guys saw earlier when he was helping me with the forge. I saw him at the door of the guardhouse, and I felt a connection with him. So I picked up the little green guy and made my way into town. When I found Kimberly later on that day, and she saw me carrying Clefspeare, well I've never seen her looked so shocked before."

"Hey, you can't really blame me. After all that you told me about how much you always wanted to be a knight, I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd never see you again, and I'd never thought in a million years would I ever find anyone else with a familiar, let alone you." Kimberly said, defending herself.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Kimberly introduced me to her familiar Lynn, who she said was not a bird, but actually a type of flying reptile, called a pterodactyl. So after Kimberly explained all about what a familiar was and what might happen, we wandered through town trying to get me a job, but no one was offering any jobs. With no job, limited money, and no home, Kimberly offered to let me stay at her house until I could get my own place. After another week of begging for jobs, and with nothing to show for it, I had decided that if I couldn't get a job in the village, then I'd try to apprentice myself to one of the Goron smiths on the mountain. So I did so, although I was warned that very few people outside of the Goron race knew how to work metal like the Gorons could. Nevertheless, I pushed onward, promising Kimberly that I'd be back, and once I did, I'd like to marry her."

Kimberly gave a fond smile at her husband at this point. Thomas, smiling back, continued, "So Clefsepeare and I made our way up the mountain, where after a lot of trials I was eventually apprenticed to a blade smith. After two years of hard work, I was recognized by my master as a master smith of my own right. So with my apprenticeship over, Clefspeare and I left the mountain and journeyed back to Kakariko Village, where I saw my sweet Kimberly waiting for me. After two long years of letters and short visits, we were together again. And four weeks later, we were married. And here we are ten years later, with two children and a third on the way, more in love than ever, and we couldn't be happier."

Kimberly gave Tommy a smile as she rested a hand on her expanding belly. "I think you may have forgotten a thing or two, dear." Thomas sent his wife a questioning look, causing her to sigh. "On our wedding day, we each got another familiar. Tommy here got Gwaihir, the white falcon that you saw earlier. And I got Selene, the pink crane that was cuddling Gwaihir earlier. While it is extremely rare for one to get a familiar, getting two is unheard of. But regardless, we have noticed that familiars often appear during a critical point in one's life. For example, I got Lynn when I was sixteen and decided to live my life the way I wanted, and not how everyone expected me to live it. One of the best choices I've ever made in my life. I became the best archer in town, and this led me to later meet Tommy. And he met Clefspeare, when he chose to give up his childhood dream for me."

Brad nodded in agreement as he recalled that he met Wraith during his tribe's trials.

Thomas suddenly stood up from the table. "Now that we all know each other's pasts, let's get working on your problems. You guys need a way to get up the mountain. Well that's accomplished easily enough. I'll just add you guys as guards for the caravan that we are sending up to the Gorons tomorrow."

"You can do that, Thomas?" Brad asked, clearly surprised that this stranger would so easily trust them.

"Why not? I have the authority to do it now that the village no longer views me as an alien; they put me in charge of the village militia years ago. And besides, I have a sixth sense about who is trustworthy and who is not. And call me Tommy; that's what my friends call me."

"Do you have any advice on what we should expect?" Saria asked.

Tommy gave a nod. "For one thing, expect lots of fire. You might want to get a metal shield before too long. Those wooden shields burn way too easily to depend on them." Tommy added, throwing a furtive glance at Link's shield, "Also be respectful, the Gorons are the strongest race in Hyrule, and much smarter than they appear to be. Now I'd suggest that you all do a little last minute practice before tomorrow. Brad, come with me and I'll see what I can do for you." Tommy said as he and Brad made their way to the forge to begin construction on more knives for the bushy haired tribesman.

Kimberly stood up as well and made her way outside, pausing to grab her bow and a quiver of arrows. "Come on Naomi, it's not wise to let one's skills lay at rest for too long. We have an archery range out back." Naomi quickly followed the lady of the house out back with her bow stringed and ready for some long overdue target practice.

Link and Saria looked at each other before heading out back with the others, only to be called back by their fairies. "Link, Kairi and I need to get going."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked his golden fairy.

"Tommy was right about you needing a better shield. I need you to give me your shield and the ore that we have gathered so that I can head up the mountain to begin forging your shield." Altair said.

"But why does Kairi have to go with you?" Saria asked.

"If I forge the shield alone, then it would take me too long to finish it. Star Rise ore takes a lot of raw magic to work to perfection, and with her help I should be able to finish the shield by the time you guys reach the Goron's city."

"Okay, but be careful, you guys," Link said as he laid down his shield and the ore down on the table, watching in awe as Kairi sent a burst of magic at the objects, shrinking them down to fairy size.

After grabbing the items, the two fairies made their way to the open window, preparing for their flight to the top of Death Mountain. Before leaving, Kairi said her goodbyes to the two Kokiri. "Don't worry; we'll be fine. Be careful, and stay out of trouble. We'll see you guys in a few days." And with that, the two fairies flew out the window and towards the top of the mountain.

Link and Saria shared a look before making their way outside to practice their skills for a while before heading to bed early. It was going to be a long climb tomorrow.

**And that is the end to the long awaited tenth chapter of **_**Everyone Dies**_**. Sorry that it has taken so long, but I was busy working on another story. As you can probably tell, this chapter was more of a transitional chapter. But I needed a way to begin weaving the Goron Ruby arc, and here it is. Anyway, I guarantee that the next chapter won't take another six months to write, as I plan on working on this story exclusively until I at least finish up the Goron Ruby arc.**

**Oh and concerning the specifics on the Gerudo's curse. In my story, during the war of the races 800 years prior to this story, the Gerudo race was cursed by the Hylians. The curse was a long lasting curse targeting the whole race, and in time would gradually kill off everyone. The curse killed off nearly every male born child. To survive, the males of the race were forced to take on multiple wives so as to hopefully garner another male for the race. This curse was broken about eighty years prior by the then Gerudo King, who harnessed a dark and forbidden power to break the curse on the Gerudo people. **

**With the curse lifted more males started to survive birth, but still the Gerudo blood was weak due to the ever shrinking gene pool. As a result many of the Gerudos began to take husbands from the Hylian tribes that wandered among the great Hylian plain. Ganondorf has continued this tradition, but has taken it even further by asking some of the Hylian tribes to join with the Gerudos. Many tribes have agreed, and as such the Gerudo race is beginning to thrive once again, although this has caused strife between the Gerudos and the Hylian Kingdom to rise once again.**

**1) The Gorons are called the Sons of the Mountain, because they work with, bombs, iron, stone, and other stuff. Also, most people only see the males. **

**2) Kakariko in my story is built on a small piece of level ground with the rest of the town built on terraces, thus adding to Kakariko's multi level style.**

**3) Note that Link actually considers himself to be a Kokiri. Not going to change for a while.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review. And again, I'm sorry that it took so long for the chapter to be released. Please leave a review.**


	11. City in the Mountain

Everyone Dies

Ch 11

**Welcome readers to the eleventh chapter of **_**Everyone Dies**_**. This chapter is where the Goron Ruby arc truly kicks off. In this chapter we meet Darunia, the fairies return, and a new threat is revealed.**

**I apologize for the long wait, but I had to deal with college, finals, family problems, and other various problems during the semester. But I am back, and ready to continue my story, so sit back and enjoy.**

**I would like to thank Brown Phantom, onyxpilot, ZaleAcon, AmageddonX, and Nissan7394 for their reviews. I apologize for the long wait, but I **_**hope**_** to be writing and posting faster, although you should not cross your fingers, because as experience has shown, I am very inconsistent with my updates.**

**I do not own the Legend of Zelda series. If I did I wouldn't have named the series after some sissy princess who only helps twice and who always gets captured.**

-Death Mountain, Entrance of Goron City-

Finally after five long days of climbing, the journey to Goron City was finally over. Saria sighed in relief as she recalled the long sleepless nights that she and her friends had to endure to protect the caravan from the red tektites that lived on the mountain.

As the group of young travelers watched and waited for the wagon train to finish pouring into the city, one of the more hospitable drivers approached the group. "Sorry that it took so long to reach the city kids, but we are transporting a lot more rocks than usual." The kind old trader, who had introduced himself earlier as Bill, said. "I must say that you kids did quite well for first time guards. Especially you kid." Bill said directing his comment to Link. "I've never seen someone fight Tektites like that. It looked as if you've been killing those blasted spiders all your life."

Link blushed at the praise. "Thanks sir, but my friends helped out a lot."

"Never said they didn't, just that you killed the most and the easiest, although that could be because they were flocking to you like flies to manure." Bill replied causing Saria, Naomi, and Brad to chuckle. "Say where did you learn to fight like that?"

Link's humor disappeared as he recalled how the Great Deku Tree was completely infested with the terrible spiders that literally sapped the life from the great Guardian of the Forest. "I'd rather not say." Link responded, all humor gone from his voice.

Bill shrugged. "Oh well, anyway you kids had better go and finish what business that you have with the Gorons before we leave."

"Actually Mr. Bill, we'll probably be staying a couple of days." Saria said.

"Oh well. I'd best catch up with the others. The Gorons need to get this food as fast as possible. Be sure to stick around Kakariko for a few days after you finish your business with the Gorons."

"Don't worry about that, we'll need to restock before we make our next move anyway." Brad said as he scratched Wraith behind his ear.

"You do that, and we'll give you children a discount on supplies." Bill said as he started to chuckle. "Now, off with you youngsters, I need to get these rocks up to the Gorons before they starve."

Link and his friends waved goodbye to the old trader as he followed the other traders from Kakariko towards the trading district of the Goron's capital. (1)

With their duty as guards completed Naomi allowed herself to relax a bit and for the first time on the long climb she actually took note of the beauty of Death Mountain. She and her friends were currently standing at the entrance of what appeared to be a giant cave dug into the very side of the mountain. Above the entrance to the cave hung a banner decorated with a strange red symbol that resembled some sort of footprint. As Naomi scanned the area around the entrance of the cave she noticed that there was not a single loose rock. Thinking back, Naomi couldn't actually recall ever seeing a loose rock during the entire hike up the mountain; which was not only curious, but somehow foreboding.

Turning her attention back to the others, she noticed that they too had finished up with their own observations. She noticed how Link and Saria whispered quietly to each other about their conclusions, whatever they were, she knew that they were bad as the children had an air of gravity about them, that clearly conveyed that something was bothering the two of them. Brad and Wraith glanced around, knowing that something was wrong, but without any tracks they were unsure exactly what it was.

After a few minutes of silent worry, Link and Saria made their way towards the large cave, with Brad, Naomi, and Wraith quickly following after the two forest children. As soon as the group passed through the torch-lit entryway they found themselves standing on the highest floor on what was a multistoried city.

The group of travelers was shocked into silence as their eyes took in the great city. The city was built around one giant hollow core, around which were a great deal of ramps and staircases to move from one level to the next. On each level there were about fifty or more caves carved into the outer rim of the city. After a quick count Saria noted that there were about two hundred levels that made up the city. The city was lit by various stones that were embedded into the walls of the city, which gave off a lot of light. The stones gave off red and yellow light, with yellow stones being more common. (2) Overlooking the entire city, and situated above the giant hollow core that ran through the entirety of the city was a wooden platform that was anchored into place by three strong lines of rope, on this wooden platform stood a Goron, who seemed to be guarding something.

In the entire city there was but two buildings. But each building displayed the Goron's skill with stone in a way that made it abundantly clear that the Gorons were not just master masons, but the greatest masons in the world. The first building was a fortress that was not built, but carved out of the stone, that hung freely from the ceiling like a giant bat. The fortress took up every inch of 'ceiling' space the city had available. The fortress hung like a reverse citadel with great towers that were designed to mimic stalactites reaching downwards like daggers. Connecting the stalactite like towers were beautiful arcing bridges. The group of travelers noticed that the hanging fortress had large veins of some silver like metallic material running through the building, likely adding even more strength to the structure.

The other building was set at the very bottom of the city, where the traders were heading. At the base of the city, too far away for Link and his friends to make out, were four large pillars that were set at the four corners of the compass. The northern pillar depicted a Goron adult clutching a large hammer in both of his hands. The Southern pillar was carved into the image of a man astride a horse with a set of armor that was would be hauntingly familiar to the small group of friends if they were close enough to see it, a male Gerudo warrior. The eastern pillar showed a strange delicate creature, a two legged creature with wing shaped flippers, a Zora. The western pillar was carved into familiar image, that of a Hylian male, wearing a straw hat and holding a farmer's scythe in one hand. From each of these pillars a line of connecting stone beams, carved with various creatures of the forest, with fairies being prominent among the carvings, intersected at the middle and from the beams hung red hued cloths, used to separate various sections of the giant trading center.

After several minutes of staring at their surroundings the group gathered together to plan their next move. "So what's the plan Link?" Naomi asked quietly, a little overwhelmed by the city.

"Well the best thing to do would be to get in contact with a Goron. And seeing as the only one visible that is not heading down to that building down at the bottom of the city, is standing watch on that platform over there, I think we need to ask him." Link suggested as he pointed towards the Goron standing on the wooden platform suspended over the hollow core of the city.

Brad turned and gulped nervously as he saw what Link was suggesting. Climb out on a narrow piece of rope over a two hundred story city and walk about a hundred or so feet over a drop that would kill any living thing, to a wooden platform suspended _only_ by three cables. Brad had never considered heights a problem before, but then again he never has been met with a fall that could easily kill him.

"You know guys, I think that I'm going to sit this one out. I don't think I can deal with a drop that great." Brad said.

Naomi turned to Brad and gave him a smile of understanding. Saria and Link on the other hand, did not understand his fear, having grown up in a forest where they played in the tree tops of the forest, particularly the Great Deku Tree's branches, they had never known fear of heights. On the other hand they had a healthy respect for the predators of the forest, which most 'normal' people never develop.

"Come on Brad! If you think about falling, then the battle is already half lost." Link said.

Brad shot the younger boy a bewildered look, not quite believing what was about to happen.

Then it did, Link glanced at Saria who glanced back at him and together they shared a delighted smirk before shouting together as one. "Race ya!" And just like that, the two children decked in emerald clothes raced towards a rope, once they were both in position they began to make their way across the ropes. Brad had thought that the two were a little fool hardy before, with next to no knowledge of life outside the forest, they constantly ran into trouble. But now, seeing them calmly walking on a piece of rope above a fall that would surely kill them, he knew that these friends of his had little to no sense of danger.

After a minute of walking Link saw that the platform was only twenty feet away, but Saria was closing in fast. Without a thought Link began to speed up, until he was nearly jogging along the rope. The distance to the platform shortened until it was only a few feet away, at which point he jumped from his rope onto the platform and with a roll he came to his feet with a bow directed back at Brad, Naomi, and Wraith back near the entrance. But as he turned around he noticed Saria standing there with a big smile on her face. "You beat me again didn't you?"

Saria's smile widened as she chirped, "Yep! This makes it 27 to 2."

Before Link could respond and flirt back, a big hand fell upon both his and Saria's shoulders. "Hmm. What are you two young ones doing all the way up here?" A big, slow, powerful voice asked.

Turning around Link and Saria saw that the hand was that of the Goron that they had seen at a distance. The one standing guard on the very platform they were now standing on. The Kokiri suddenly felt very foolish for having forgotten the reason that they were here.

Saria quickly took the lead. "You see sir, we are first time visitors and we need some directions."

The Goron nodded his head in understanding. "I see, but what possessed you two to race each other across the ropes?"

Link and Saria glanced at each other before turning back to face the Goron. "We were just having fun; we used to do this kind of stuff all the time back home." Saria said.

The Goron gaze began to sharpen, as he heard the careless answer of the Kokiri children. "So you used to go running across rope hundreds of feet high in the air with no safety net below to catch you back home, do you know how irresponsible that is!" The Goron rumbled out.

Link quickly interjected to stem the tide of the Goron's words. "We were careful, after all, our guardian always kept a close eye on us when we race through his branches. And for your information we race across branches that were nearly as high up as this city, while the entire tree was moving and rocking with the wind. So a steady rope is no problem for us."

"Wait a minute. There's a tree that is nearly as tall as this city?" The Goron questioned in amazement. "Where are you from?"

Link and Saria grinned and replied in tune with each other, "We are from the great Kokiri Forest."

For a minute the Goron looked between the two children in amazement, remembering the legend and legacy of the last Kokiri to leave the forest. Eventually the Goron composed himself and decided to try and help these children out with whatever the needed. "So, you said that you are first time visitors, how can I help." He rumbled out.

Saria was quick to begin asking questions. "What's your name?"

The Goron blinked in surprise, for in every encounter he's had with outsiders except the villagers of Kakariko and the Gerudos, no one had ever been courteous enough to ask for his name. "My name is Roran, although I'm sure that my name is not why you two children crossed the ropes."

Saria and Link nodded. "My name is Saria and this is my best friend Link. You see we were assigned a task by the Great Deku Tree before he died. We were told to retrieve the Kokiri Emerald, which has been stolen by some evil power, as well as stopping this evil. While we currently don't have any clues as to where the emerald is, or who stole it, we do have a plan to stop whoever it is from accomplishing their goals. After some discussion, we believe that the thief is most likely trying to gain access to the Triforce. To do so they would need to get all three spiritual stones, and since the spiritual stones all stay at their traditional resting places, it would be easy for the thief to come and take your spiritual stone. So we have decided that the simplest way to stop the thief would be to hide one of the two remaining spiritual stones in a new secret location, thereby denying one of the keys that the thief needs. So we need to know, where your spiritual stone is." Saria explained.

Roran looked over the two Kokiri, in amazement, having never heard a tale such as this in his entire life. After a few seconds Roran had re-gathered himself and addressed the little green haired girl's question. "You are in luck. For you see I am the guard of the Spiritual Stone of Fire, known to my people as the Goron Ruby. This platform is where the Ruby typically rests, but the Chief of Goron City, Darunia, has moved it for safety reasons. If you want the stone you must see Darunia."

Link spoke up. "Well where is he?"

"Darunia lives on the thirty-seventh level, his cave his marked by a stone door decorated with the Goron Ruby symbol." Roran said as he pointed to the footprint like symbol on the platform.

"Thanks Roran." Link said as he and Saria headed back towards the ropes.

"Wait a minute. Come here kids." Roran said. Once Link and Saria had returned, Roran began to speak again. "Look, I don't want you kids to walk across those ropes again, because just looking at you two; I know that you're going to race again." Link and Saria smiled sheepishly, knowing that is exactly what they were about to do. "So instead I'm going to send you two back the express way."

"What way is that?" Link asked. Roran smiled as he grabbed the back of both Link and Saria's shirts, and hoisting them up he cocked back one arm and threw Saria clear across the hollow core to land in a roll near Brad and Naomi. As Saria flew through the air she released a shriek of delight.

Roran looked down at Link and saw the excitement in his face. Smiling wider Roran cocked back his arm, and with a grunt of effort, he flung the young green clad boy even higher and faster than his green-haired girlfriend. As he flew through the air Link let out a whoop of excitement. Link all-to-quickly landed with a roll near his friend, with a wild grin on his face, with his hat still miraculously on his head.

Brad and Naomi took one look at the two forest children and came to a conclusion. They were wild children. Brad was the first to speak, as both Link and Saria were too busy yelling back thanks to Roran. "So what did you two learn?"

Link and Saria motioned for their friends to follow as they made their way to some stairs, and began to make their way down to the thirty seventh level. As the group of friends made their way down the levels, Link and Saria began to explain what Roran told them, as well as the mini lecture that he gave them about their race across the ropes. At this Naomi and Brad traded smiles as they listened to their younger friends.

"By the way Saria, I seem to recall, that it was I who was tasked by the Great Deku Tree for this quest, not you." Link teased as he recalled his green haired best friend's remarks to Roran.

Saria turned to Link with a smile on her face. "As if you'd make it without me. Besides I have a feeling, that the Great Deku Tree expected me to go with you on this adventure. So in that, I too was tasked by the Great Deku Tree on this adventure." Saria remarked with a smile on her face that caused Link to flush a little. Being bold, Saria reached out and took Link's hand in her own, causing her face to heat up a little.

Wraith snickered at the two children, so obviously in love with each other, but too young to understand the feelings coursing through their veins. Looking back at his master, Wraith noted that Naomi, seeing Saria's display of affection had stepped closer to Brad, prompting the shaggy haired teen to place an arm around Naomi's shoulder drawing her even closer, upon which he placed a kiss upon her head. Wraith grinned at his master, glad to see that his master and his future mate were showing their affection for each other.

Eventually the group of friends had reached the desired floor. And after circling nearly the entire floor they had finally found the door of the village chief. The door was a full twelve feet tall carved with a stylized emblem of the Goron Ruby. Above and below the giant emblem were large carved letters, in an unfamiliar language. After taking one look at the door Brad released Naomi and pulled out one of his knives, raising the knife high, Brad began to slam the hilt of the knife into the door creating an improvised door knocker.

After a minute or so a large Goron, taller and more muscled than Roran appeared at the door. The Goron was nearly eleven feet tall, with large visible muscles that were in stark contrast to the fairly unremarkable appearance of Roran. His grayish hair, both that on his head and face, was spiky, with the hair on his chin spiking about a foot downwards in three separate spikes, while his sideburns spiked outwards forming a guard around his neck, the hair on his head was spiked into three different quills, altogether giving the Goron a very fierce look. On the outside of his arms was the now recognizable Goron Ruby symbol, tattooed in black onto his flesh. "What do you children want?" The Goron asked in a gruff voice.

"Are you Darunia, the Goron Chief?" Link asked.

"I am. Who are you?" Darunia asked.

"My name's Link, this is Saria, Brad, Naomi, and Wraith. We are on a quest assigned to us by the Great Deku Tree." At this Darunia's previous bored expression was removed. In a matter of seconds he had the children ushered into his home, where they saw Darunia's wife preparing a set of armor that was far larger than any that they had ever seen.

Seeing the group's curious stares Darunia introduced them to his wife. "Children, this is my wife Salem. She is the best armor forger in the whole of Goron City, and one of the few who can use magic, thus making her better still." Darunia praised, causing Salem to blush a little under her husband's high praise.

It was at this point that the group took notice of the differences between the male and females of the Goron race. The females were a fair deal slimmer than the bulky males, as well as having a more expressive face than their male counterparts. But probably the biggest differences that they could notice was that Salem wore a large brown dress that was covered by a heavy leather apron.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Salem said. "Darunia, what is so special about these children?" Salem questioned.

"Why do you think there is something special about them?" Darunia replied.

Salem chuckled, a soft sound when compared to Roran's earlier rumble. "Oh honey, I know you too well. Besides it's not often that you invite complete strangers inside the house within two minutes of meeting them."

Darunia released a short laugh. "Ah you do know me too well. Salem, these children are on a quest from the Great Deku Tree, the Forest Sage."

Salem's eyebrows rose dramatically at this news. "Well, then I think that we had best hear what they have to say." Salem said as she stood from her workstation and moved towards the living room of the cave.

Darunia followed his wife, and beckoned the group to follow. Once everyone had entered the living room, a room lit by bright yellow sunstones embedded into the ceiling, and had taken a seat in one of the large Goron sized chairs, Link began to explain the quest.

"… And so you see, we figure that if we get one of the remaining stones and hide it away somewhere secret, where only we would know, then we would ultimately beat the thief and would have all the time in the world to find him and bring him to justice." (3)

Darunia leaned back as he thought about all that the children had told him. The story did answer several questions that he had been pondering, why for one, had the Great Deku Tree, the oldest of the sages, ceased his contact with the other sages. And why suddenly had a new Forest Sage, this time a fairy, appeared. (4) "Your plan does have its merits but I am afraid that I cannot let the Stone of Fire go, my people are facing a severe famine right now, and the removal of the stone would cause an even greater panic to overwhelm my people. It is thanks to the good people of Kakariko that we are doing so well, but they cannot keep up this pace of production for too much longer. Besides, I would not entrust the Ruby into anyone's hands, but a Goron, or Ganondorf himself." The group's eyes went wide at this, having not known that the Gerudo's were in such good graces with the Gorons.

Brad opened his mouth to speak, but Wraith quickly bit him to stop him from insulting the Goron's longtime allies. "_Thanks Wraith_." Brad sent, the little black fox simply nodded and curled back up on his master's lap.

"Even if I gave you the stone, where would you take it?" Darunia asked.

Naomi was the one to answer. "Well Princess Zelda, suggested that we take the stone to her, so that she might protect it."

At this Darunia and Salem gave a loud laugh. "I would not send the Ruby anywhere near Castle Town. The Hylians that serve the Hylian King are a war-hungry people. It is true that Zelda is a powerful mage, Rauru, the Light Sage has informed me that she is the best mage he has seen among the Hylian race in over five hundred years. But I do not trust the Hylians that ask for more and more weapons. I fear that they are gearing up for a conflict with our allies in the Desert, and I will not support those that would do harm to my friends. If I do give you the Ruby, then I would make you promise to not take the Ruby to Hyrule Castle."

Brad was the next to try to speak to the chief. "But you must see that the Ruby is in danger. Whoever this thief is, they are obviously powerful enough to overcome the magical barriers that surround the Kokiri Forest and steal the Kokiri Emerald from the Great Deku Tree. Surely it would be better to move the Ruby to a safer place."

Before Darunia could answer the tribesman, Salem stepped in. "You make a good case, but the facts are that we simply cannot afford to let the Ruby go at this time. With the Dodongo Caverns infested by monsters that can kill a Goron miner, our people are facing starvation. We have sent some of our soldiers to kill whatever is haunting the caverns, but whatever is in there is multiplying, and with so many monsters we are unable to clear the caverns and harvest the food we need."

Link had an idea. "What if we clear the monsters for you, would you then entrust us with the Ruby?"

Saria was quick to add in, "And we promise that we will hide the Ruby ourselves, and not take it to Zelda."

"If we clear out the caverns, then your people will be more willing to let the Ruby go into safety." Naomi added on.

"And by clearing out the caverns, we would prove that we are as strong as the Gorons, so there would be no reservations about our strength. Besides, this is the right thing to do." Brad finished.

Darunia and Salem were shocked, that these children would be willing to risk their lives to help their people. After sharing a glance with each other, Darunia stood up from his chair. "If you accomplish this then I would gladly hand over the Goron Ruby to you. And I would gladly welcome you into my family as my brothers and sisters."

"Are you sure that you four will be able to do this?" Salem asked worriedly, not realizing that Wraith was more than just a pet.

"We should be able to. After all we've seen some pretty strong monsters already." Link said. "Besides, Altair and Kairi will be able to help us."

Darunia grinned in excitement as he felt more and more confident in the children's success. "Salem, I think that these children would benefit from some of your special bracelets."

Salem smiled and made her way back to her workstation, and returned with four dull gold bracelts emblazoned with the Goron Ruby emblem. "Put these on, they will increase your strength to that of a Goron. If you are going to face whatever is haunting those caverns, then these should give you a greater chance of success." As each of the children took a bracelet, a flash of magic occurred changing the bracelets slightly. Link's bracelet kept its golden appearance, but instead of a black Goron Ruby emblem, a black howling wolf head appeared. Saria's band also didn't change colors, except for the emblem which became that of a mighty tree. Brad's bracelet changed colors from a dull gold, to a shining gold, with a pair of crossed knifes replacing the emblem. Naomi's band went through the greatest change, the band changed from dull gold, to a bright red that matched her hair, the black emblem morphed into a stylized flame.

Darunia stared at the four children in awe, having never seen something like this happening. Salem simply smiled down at the children. "I knew that you four had some powerful magic coursing through you. Darunia, is there anything else that they'll need before I send them off?"

"There is one more thing, and then you'll be ready." Darunia moved into a different room and had returned with four bags. "These are bomb bags, made from a Dodongo's hide. With these you will be able to safely transport bombs, without fear of danger. Each bag can hold up to thirty bombs, which should be plenty with the four of you going." Darunia said as he handed each member of the group a bomb bag.

Stepping back he looked over each one and saw that they were ready. "Salem if you will?" Darunia asked his wife. Salem nodded and closed her eyes and stretched out her hand towards the group, quickly a red orb grew until it was the size of a pumpkin, at which point the orb of magic flew from her hand and towards the group of friends where it engulfed them in a blaze of red light. When the red light faded, the group was gone, transported to the entrance of the Dodongo Caverns.

-Entrance of Dodongo Caverns-

In a flash of red light the group appeared in front of a giant boulder that they had camped by on the first day of their trip up the mountain. And hovering in front of the colossal rock was Kairi and Altair. "Hey guys what took you so long?" Altair asked with a smile.

"Oh you know, giant mountains, huge cities, it kind of takes a while to travel such places." Link replied.

"So did you guys get the Ruby?" Kairi asked as she spun her two new knifes that Altair had made for her. (5)

Saria shook her head no, and proceeded to explain what had happened while the fairies were on the top of the mountain forging weapons.

After Saria had finished explaining what they had missed, the fairies began to show what they had done with their time. Kairi pulled out the shield she had shrunk to fit into her pack and showed it to Link. The battle scared Deku Shield had been reworked with the Star Rise ore to become a shield that was about seventy percent larger. The new shield was completely metal, with the outside a gleaming silver with Altair's four sided curved start emblem decorating the upper left field, while a howling wolf's head took up most of the room left over. The back of the shield and the outside rim was a nice deep forest green color. The shield's straps were magically treated leather to ensure durability. All in all, the shield was a work of art and beauty. (6)

As Link took the shield, he was surprised at how heavy the shield was. It was larger than the Hylian Shield that he was almost conned into buying at Hyrule, but it was actually lighter than it, although it was still a fair bit heavier than his old Deku Shield. "So what's it called?" Link asked.

Altair grinned. "I call it the 'Wolf Shield', in honor of the future Wolf King. And if you think that is nice, just wait till you see the sword you'll get when you're older. Right now the sword is too big for you to use, so you'll just have to make do with what you've got for now."

"Right. Now let's blow open this cave." Link said after he slipped his new shield onto his back. With a grin that was matched by Saria, and was mirrored to a lesser extent by Brad and Naomi, they each pulled out a bomb and lit it, before throwing their bombs at the giant boulder that blocked the entrance to the Dodongo Caverns. With a giant 'BOOOM' the bombs went off, destroying the giant boulder and sending rocks flying every which way.

As the smoke cleared, the way into the cavern was opened.

-Castle Town-

Amongst the usual hustle and bustle of the lively Castle Town, there was a figure that walked with a purpose. He had on only tattered green rags, but still he moved forward with a determination that belied his rough appearance. On his journey north, after he and his companion had lost their prey he had wandered lost for two weeks, burning everything and everyone he met in his fury. But eventually he had felt a tug on his spirit. Something was drawing him north, so he again set out with his companion eagerly following, both of them hoping that they would find their prey at the end of the trip.

And after another three non-stop weeks of travelling both day and night, he arrived in this annoyingly loud city. The noise was sparking his anger to burn something. Just as he let the urge take over, a boy several years 'older' than himself appeared before him covered in black armor. The teen's strange appearance stopped his urges o burn everything for a moment, mostly because the teen had flaming red hair and a dark green hued skin. As the two boys took each other in, the Gerudo, motioned for the boy and his companion to follow him towards an alley.

As soon as the two males entered the alley, the rag covered boy began demanding answers. "Who are you? Are you the one who has been calling me these past few weeks?"

"Patience little boy. My name is Kieran, and I have been assigned to give you your task." The Gerudo teen proclaimed.

"Heh, I am far older than you, I am over three hundred years old. So you better show some respect, before I burn you to ashes." The little 'boy' cackled out as his eyes began to take on a fierce red glow.

Kieran simply ignored this poor wretch's threats and continued on with his assigned task. "You are ordered to go near Death Mountain, where you are to wait for certain travelers. When you find them, kill all of them, but take from them a red glowing stone. And be sure to bring it back."

The rag covered boy and his companion laughed at the Gerudo. "Now why would we do that?"

"Because Mido; Link and his friends are the ones you are being sent to kill." Kieran replied, watching the warped Kokiri become even more high-strung as word of his hated enemy came to him. "Do you accept your orders?"

Mido and Zaid glanced at each other before turning back to the Gerudo prince. "We accept. WE shall kill and burn them all to ashes; and in return for this great help we will bring back this red stone of yours."

Kieran raised his hand and a purple orb of power began to grow. "I am sending you about a week of travel away from Death Mountain. Wait there and your prey will surely come to you. Now go." And with that the warped Kokiri and his equally warped fairy were teleported to their position on the plains, to await and kill Link, and all of his friends, even Saria.

**And that is the end of chapter eleven. I originally thought that this chapter would only be about three thousand words long, but it seems that the length was more than I expected. Anyway the start of the Goron Ruby Arc has begun, expect another chapter fairly soon. I hope you have enjoyed my newest chapter. Again I am sorry for the long wait, but I promise that the next chapter will come out far faster than this one did. Sorry about the lack of action, but I can promise you that the next chapter will have quite a bit of fight scenes. **

**1. The Gorons do not only live in Goron City. They have other towns and cities all over the northwestern mountain range that forms the northern border for Hyrule. Goron City is simply the Gorons greatest and biggest city; and it is the one which the people of Hyrule are most familiar with.**

**2. These stones that give off light, are sun stones. They are used exclusively by the Gorons, who use them as artificial light in Goron City, and their mines. They use these stones rather than torches, because in giant underground cities such as Goron City, the smoke from thousands of torches would eventually kill much of the city. Note that they still use torches, just in a far smaller amount.**

**3. Note that Link is just explaining the quest, not the fact that the Gerudos murdered nearly all of Reiner village. That would have caused some serious issues.**

**4. The sages have a way of communicating vast distances. They meet on a spiritual plain, if you will, and discuss the happenings of their lands. Note that it is the Light Sage that speaks for the Hylains, seeing as the Time Sage, Zelda, has her powers locked, thus she is not a fully realized sage.**

**5. Kairi's knifes are identical, each can channel magic. Each blade has a small guard designed to look like a rose's thorns. The hilt is green, naturally, while the blade is made of some Star Rise ore, leaving the blade a nice shining silver. **

**6. Imagine the Mirror shield from Occarina of Time, with the new additions. This has to be my favorite shield from all the games.**

**I hope that you have enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review behind. Also if you have any questions about my story or elements in the story feel free to ask, I will answer them to the best of my ability.**

**On a positive I am already getting started on the next chapter. It is currently at 2,000 words, and it is still growing.**


	12. Cavern of Fire

Everyone Dies

Ch 12

**Welcome everyone to the twelfth chapter of my story. This is the long expected Dodongo Cavern dungeon. Although for me it has long been a worrisome chapter, for I have been having trouble trying to figure out how I am supposed to write out this dungeon. But I finally have it figured out.**

**The characters are going to encounter Dodongos of various sizes, but I will tell you now that killing them won't be as simple as having them suck up a bomb and then exploding. No, they are going to fight hand to hand against armored lizards.**

**I would like to thank msfcatlover and brown phantom for their reviews. I hope that this chapter is to your liking. And to respond to Brown Phantom's review, I can only say that the Zoras will make it into the story eventually, but it will take a while longer.**

**Once again I don't own the Legend of Zelda. Too bad for me.**

-Dodongo Caverns-

After blowing up a rather weak wall that was blocking the majority of the cave Link and his friends entered the first chamber of the Dodongo caverns.

To the Kokiri and their fairies, the caverns looked like a scene right out of their deepest nightmares. While to the two Hylians and the fox, the cavern looked like a strange ancient world.

The main cavern was huge, about a third the size of the Great Deku Tree. The first and most dramatic feature of the cave was a giant skull of some huge, long dead creature. The skull was blue on the top and pale green along the lower jaw, all of which seemed to merge seamlessly with the stone. The skull was easily larger than the houses at Castle Town. The jaws of the creature were massive, with the teeth still looking as sharp as they must have been when the creature was still living. But the scariest thing to the children was the pitch black eyes of the long dead creature, which seemed to glare with murderous hate at all who stood before it.

As the group drew their eyes away from the creature's skull they looked to the ceiling, having been told of Link's encounters with the spiders inside the Great Deku Tree they were cautious of their surroundings. Along the ceiling of the great cave hung two rope bridges with wooden planks, but the bridges were nowhere near as impressive as the blue spinal column, presumably from the same creature whose skull adorned the cavern, that lined the cavern's roof. From the spinal column ran four giant rib bones that arched and ran across the caverns sides, acting as braces for the cavern.

Just before the giant monster skull was a stone island, upon which stood a strange metal monster that was constantly rotating its head. Surrounding this stone island were some stone pillars that could be jumped on allowing access to the island. The sides of the cavern had ledges allowing access to the doorways on either side of the cavern.

But what was the most nerve-wracking thing about the cavern for the Kokiri, was the floor of the cavern. The floor was covered in red hot lava, bubbling and spurting up in flames of fiery earth. Having lived in the forest all of their lives, Link and Saria had always had a healthy respect for fire, but to be surrounded by it, in its most primal form, was just short of terrifying for the forest dwellers.

Brad was the first to regain his senses. "Altair, you lived among the Gorons for a long time, what _is_ this place? I thought that this would be a mine of some sort. Not some sort of haunted shrine!"

Altair let out a sigh as he recalled what his friend at the top of the mountain told him about this cavern. "This is both the Gorons' of Goron City main source of food, as well as one of their greatest battlefields. You see over a thousand years ago the Gorons became entrenched in a great war with creatures called Dodongos. Yes the very same as which give gives this cave its name. This cave is the heart of the Dodongo 'civilization' if you will. You see Dodongos are similar to Wolfos in that they are intelligent creatures, they can think, plan, even talk to each other. They were not stupid simple creatures. They were fierce, dangerous, often murderous, intelligent creatures. As you can see by the skeleton of the Dodongo that adorns this cave, they could grow quite massive. The skeleton you see is from the biggest most powerful Dodongo to have ever lived, Caesar the Lizard King. He was the greatest of all the Royal Dodongos."

"Now Dodongo's have three stages. The first stage is called a baby Dodongo, they are about two to three feet long, and about a foot or so tall, their fire sacs have yet to mature, and so when they are killed, the volatile gases inside often explode, much like a bomb, in fact it is from Dodongo hide that bomb bags are made. After about a year or so the baby Dodongos mature into full grown Dodongos, at which point they can begin to breed. Mature Dodongos have two legs and a long tail growing form their main bodies. The males are completely green, while the females are a lighter shade of green with splotches of pink scales thrown in. At this point in their life Dodongos can begin to breathe fire."

"And that is where the vast majority of Dodongos end up. Yet there are a few Dodongos, called Royal Dodongos, which grow further still. These Dodongos are the most intelligent, and can understand any type of speech. In fact these Dodongos were the ones that led the others. Royal Dodongos had four legs, a long thick tail and could roll. I'm not too sure on anything more specific, as there hasn't been an adult Royal Dodongo in nearly a thousand years, seeing as the Gorons make sure to kill any and all Royal Dodongos before they reach their adult form."

"It is in these caverns that a war was fought between the Dodongos and the Gorons. And that is why this place looks as it does. It is a memorial to both the Gorons and the Dodongos that fell during the war."

Now that they knew the history of the place, the cavern's strange appearance began to look marginally less frightening. Shaking themselves from their stupor Link and Saria turned to each other and as one drew their weapons before charging into the cavern, eager to overcome their fear of fire, and get out of the cave.

But as soon as they stepped foot into the giant cavern, their Goron Bracelets let off a flash of light. Link and Saria quickly drew to a halt as they stared at the strangely glowing metal. Saria's mind was racing as she tried to think of a reason why something like this would happen. As soon as Brad and Naomi entered the cavern, their bracelets also flashed with a strange light, although Altair, Kairi, and Wraith safely entered without any sort of strange occurrence going on, leading Saria to understand what was happening. "The bracelets! They triggered some sort of spell as soon as we stepped into the cavern. Whatever the spell, it seems to react to Gorons in some way."

"What kind of spell do you think they activated?" Link asked.

The question was quickly answered by two loud deafening roars that echoed throughout the caverns, rattling the wooden bridges high in the air.

"What was that?" Naomi asked as once the echoes from the roars died down.

"I'm not sure. But whatever it is, we had best get a move on. Altair, Kairi, do you think you two could do some quick exploration for us. The faster we know the lay of the land the better chance we have against whatever is coming." Brad said as he slipped back into his tribal training.

Altair and Kairi looked at their charges, and after receiving a nod of confirmation the two fairies flew off at a speed that their friends didn't know they possessed.

As the fairies flew off to explore, the group of friends began to hear the sound of footsteps, a great many footsteps. Looking around the friends tried to quickly devise a strategy. Link was the first to come up with a plan. "Brad, I need you take Naomi and Wraith with you towards the right side of the cavern, see if you can find a way to get to the rope bridges. Saria, we're going to need to get to that island. We would have the most defendable position there."

Saria nodded, as she swallowed her fear of the fire and reached into her bomb bag and pulled out bomb. Lighting the bomb she shrew it with all her might, at the strange metal creature at the middle of the stone island. As the bomb arced through the air, Saria quickly spoke some hushed words before thrusting out her hand. From behind her a gust of wind emerged, guided by her will, it began to carry the bomb towards the distant creature. The bomb quickly reached the metal creature, which was promptly consumed by a fiery explosion, ripping the strange creature into shreds. With the only current threat taken care of, Saria and Link began to make their way across the columns, while Brad, Naomi and Wraith began to head towards the right side of the cavern.

As Brad led Naomi and Wraith across the columns to get to the ledges, he glanced back at Link and Saria, and gave a quick prayer for their protection. From the increasingly loud screeching of the approaching monsters he knew that they would need it. Although, it did seem that the Kokiri were taking precautions, with Saria casting spells that created a small wall around the island to defend themselves, while Link had his spider-web war sling out and ready.

All thoughts and worries for his friends left his mind as he and Naomi reached the eastern ledge and entered an open passage that led deeper into the caverns. For before them was a seemingly never ending sea of what could only be baby Dodongos. With practiced ease Brad pulled out two knives from the sleeves of his coat, just as Naomi drew an arrow from her quiver at her hip and readied her bow.

The rushing tide of baby Dodongos slowed as they encountered creatures that they were not expecting. Mother and Father said that four more Gorons had entered the caverns. But these creatures were far smaller and apparently weaker than a Goron. Almost as one the group of young Dodongos seemed to grin as they realized that these new creatures would be easier to bring down.

With that thought the baby Dodongos sped forward rushing to jump at Brad and Naomi, while Wraith snuck behind the sea of baby Dodongos and began to attack the unsuspecting lizards. As the small Dodongos charged at the teens, Brad and Naomi began to attack. Brad forced his magic into his knives causing them to grow a brilliant gold, taking aim he began to throw his knives at the approaching hoard of lizards. Naomi decided to forgo using her magic, deciding that if the little creatures would be able to breathe fire soon, then a fiery arrow would likely not be able to do anything at all to the lizards, instead she simply began firing her arrows as fast as she could at mass of approaching creatures.

The baby Dodongos were pierced by the arrows and cut to ribbons by the glowing knives. Leaving the young lizards dead, although the creatures quickly made themselves known again as each dead baby Dodongo erupted in an explosion, rattling their brethren as they rushed towards the Hylian teens. All too soon Brad had only his combat knives left, and Naomi quickly decided to stop firing her arrows as each explosion from the Dodongos destroyed whatever arrow killed it, and if she spent all her arrows now, then she'd be useless later on. With the rain of projectiles ended the baby Dodongos, once eighty strong, had been whittled down to eighteen, charged with a bloodlust that rivaled that of any berserker.

Brad quickly brought out his battle knives that Tommy had made for him back at Kakariko village, concentrating he made the knives grow a bright glow. As he stared at the incoming lizards, he decided to charge them. With a roar, he charged the small lizards, crouching low so as to make himself less of a target.

Naomi inspired by her boyfriend's courage grasped her bow with both hands, and after chanting a spell that Kim had taught her, she strengthened her bow so that she could use it like a short staff. With her now impervious bow she charged into the approaching lizards.

The first of the surviving baby Dodongos had reached Brad; with a boiling rage in its eyes it leapt at the tribesman intent on taking off his head. But Brad simply ducked even lower and slashed upwards with his knife, cutting through the small lizard's thinly armored belly. With a screech of pain the small creature sailed past the hunter and landed in a heap, before exploding in plume of fire and smoke as its maturing fire sac erupted. Dashing forward Brad flipped over a charging baby Dodongo as it attempted to take out his legs. Naomi quickly whipped her bow around and with her Goron like strength granted by her bracelet, she easily sent the lizard careening into one of the walls that made up the passageway, which upon contact the baby lizard exploded.

Seeing so many of their own cut down so quickly and mercilessly most creatures would have fled, but by this time, the Dodongos' blood lust had risen to a fever pitch, making the young Dodongos near suicidal. In an instant the sixteen remaining Dodongos charged at the heroes with a burst of speed that was shocking. Caught unawares by the increased speed, both Brad and Naomi were hit as the two leading lizards leaped up and rammed themselves into the two Hylian's bodies. The sudden weight and change in momentum caused the two to be sent to the ground. With their prey on the ground the baby Dodongos rushed forward, eager to taste their enemies' blood.

As the lizards swarmed towards them Brad and Naomi hastily regained their feet with a quick reverse roll. As soon as they were upright they charged the Dodongos who were surprised that the two Hylians had gotten up so quickly. With his knives glowing a bright gold Brad cut his way through the horde of small lizards with ease, while Naomi slammed her bow into the Dodongos, clearing her way, and leaving behind a group of broken and dying Dodongos.

Soon enough all the baby Dodongos were finished. Brad wearily picked up his throwing knives, those that hadn't been destroyed by the Dodongos explosive death. Naomi collapsed against a wall, breathing deeply as her adrenaline drained away, leaving her exhausted. She and her friends had fought monsters before, but that was nothing compared to the wave of baby lizards that wanted nothing more than to tear her limb from limb. Wraith came padding over to her, his once smooth silky black fur was coated and matted by the baby Dodongos blood. Giving the little fox a scratch behind his ear, Naomi continued to think. There was something different about fighting these monsters, maybe it was because Altair said that they were intelligent. Regardless she had a feeling that the fight was only going to get harder from here on out.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a roar echoed throughout the hallway. The roar was similar to the two that she had heard earlier, but nowhere near as loud and powerful. From the doorway just ahead emerged four fully mature Dodongos, two of which had splotches of pink on their shining green scales. As soon as the Dodongos caught sight of their smaller brethren they breathed deep before breathing out a stream of fire at the pair. Brad and Naomi quickly leapt back from the flames,Brad quickly drew and threw one of his recovered knives at the foremost Dodongo. In response, the Dodongo pivoted on his foot and spun around whipping his tail around to smash into the side of the knife sending it clattering to the ground. As the green two legged lizard turned to face the teens again, Brad knew that this fight was going to get dangerous.

Thinking quickly, Brad pulled out a bomb from his bomb bag, and lit it before taking aim and throwing the bomb into the midst of the Dodongos. The green scaled lizards moved almost lazily away from the bomb, not caring if it detonated near them or not. The foremost Dodonge gave the two Hylians a glare, as if asking if that was all they had. Suddenly the bomb exploded leaving behind a large crater, but more importantly for Brad's purpose, a large cloud of smoke, that not only blinded the Dodongos, but also burned their noses, temporarily destroying their sense of smell.

With their sight and sense of smell temporarily blinded the Dodongos were forced to rely on sound to defend themselves for the next several seconds. But unfortunately for the lizards, the teens they were facing were some of the stealthiest Hylians in the land. So the Dodongos heard only what Brad, Naomi, and Wraith wished for them to hear. As the smoke cleared the Dodongos breathed deep and unleashed a wave of fire on where their ears told them the intruders would be. But when the smoke cleared, they saw that they had in fact only heated a wall with their flames.

At that precise moment Brad and Naomi were hanging from a beam directly over the Dodongos, with Wraith taking refuge across Brad's shoulders. Turning his head towards Naomi he and she sheared a look before dropping into the midst of the matured Dodongos, startling the big lizards. Wraith leapt from Brad's shoulders and onto the back of a Dodongo, increasing his size as he dropped onto the lizard, with his claws glowing a bright gold. As soon as Naomi's feet touched the ground she began to beat one of the lizards about with her strengthened bow, leaving behind bruised scales with every blow her bow dealt. While Brad drew his two battle knives and infused them with as much magic as he could force into his blades, causing the knives usual golden glow to outshine the sunstones that lined the passageway they were fighting in. With a near bestial roar Brad leapt at the remaining two Dodongos and began to slash and stab at the green lizards armored hides.

Brad quickly broke off his attack as the leader of this group of Dodongos began to thrash his tail around, nearly decapitating Brad in the process. The leader quickly turned and opened his jaws wide before unleashing a stream of fire at the boy. Brad quickly rolled to the side to dodge the flame, but at that point, the other Dodongo had turned around and was beginning to charge at towards him. To build up the speed needed to charge the Dodongo lifted its tail high in the air allowing it to move at higher speeds. With a roar the charging Dodongo lunged at Brad, eager to taste his flesh. Brad side stepped the charging Dodongo, and stabbed his glowing knives into the massive reptiles hide, causing the lizard to shriek in agony and stumble to a halt. Brad swiftly removed the knives and prepared to drive them into the skull of the matured lizard to kill it, so as to devote his full attention towards the leader of this group. But he had neglected the leader for a bit too long, as the lizard quickly blew out another stream of fire, faster this time, at Brad. Brad leaped away from the flames, but was unable to fully escape them, as his left arm was caught in stream of fire briefly. Hurriedly patting out the flames Brad cautiously moved his left arm, feeling a searing pain, as his arm was covered with multiple burns.

Nonetheless Brad continued to grip both knives as he stared down the two Dodongos, the injured one moving quite slowly and stiffly with the two stab wounds in its back. Glaring in anger and pain Brad suddenly dashed forward catching the pained Dodongo off guard, while the leader roared a challenge as he ran to meet Brad. As they closed the distance the Dodongo again spun and lashed out with his tail, expecting Brad to have continued forward, but Brad instead leapt to the left, just outside of the Dodongos range before dashing towards the injured Dodongo.

In panic the Dodongo hurriedly released a torrent of flame at Brad. In desperation Brad crossed his knives in front of him and forced even more magic into his weapons as he charged towards the Dodongo, intent of finishing it off before it became too much of a nuisance. Rushing into the flame, Brad noticed that the extra magic he forced into his knives had taken form as a protective golden shield around him that deflected the flames. Nonetheless, he could feel that the shield was taking a large amount of energy out of him. With his shield deflecting the flames Brad ran right up to the mouth of the lizard, before slashing with all of his strength, both his and that gifted by the Goron Bracelet at the Dodongos' neck, easily severing the creatures head from its body. Brad sighed in relief knowing that he had one less monster to fight.

Turning around he noticed that the leader of the group looked a bit lost as he gazed at the headless form of what Brad was quickly gathering was his mate. Brad noticed that the look of loss quickly faded into rage and hate as he glared at Brad. That look was further intensified as a long low groan echoed through the corridor signaling another Dodongo's death. Brad didn't dare turn away from the Dodongo, knowing that if he did, then it would most likely be his death. Another low groan was heard, followed shortly after by a howl of victory, Brad smirked at the Dodongo, knowing that both Naomi and Wraith had finished off their enemies.

The leader of the group of mature Dodongos glared at the three standing before him with a murderous hatred. The blue clad boy had killed his mate. His death would be slow, and as painful as he could make it. The red haired female, who was obviously the boy's mate would suffer the same fate; it was only fair after all. While the strange black four-legged creature, would have to die fast. The fact that it was before no bigger than one of his children before, and then suddenly as big as a fully matured Dodongo within a second, was cause to worry, the fact that he had returned to his small size was irrelevant, he was a threat.

Still keeping his eyes on the Dodongo, Brad whispered a plan to Naomi and Wraith. "Listen, if we can get close to this guy, I can decapitate him. I got a new trick that will shield me from his fire, so stay back and give me some support." Naomi and Wraith nodded, and though he couldn't see it he felt their agreement. Crossing his still shining knives in front of him, Brad forced his magic into the blades again as he started to race towards the Dodongo. Without the fire to obscure it this time, Brad saw that the extra magic he had forced into his knives had coated his body like a cloak and as he ran towards the Dodongo in front of him, the cloak began to stream, with the majority of the magic moving to the front to protect him as he charged, while the sides and rear became weakened. Naomi and Wraith watched nervously as Brad raced towards the Dodongo. Naomi released the spell that she had placed on her bow, allowing her to fire arrows once again. (1) Drawing an arrow she prepared to fire and back Brad up.

"_Twenty feet. Fifteen feet. Twelve feet. Now._" The Dodongo thought as he watched Brad race towards him. When Brad was within twelve feet the Dodongo began to pivot and bring his heavy tail around to bash the boy across the ribs. Brad kept on moving, sure that his shield would protect him from the tail just as it had from the fire. But that theory was quickly proved wrong as the Dodongo's tail slammed into the side of the shield which held the tail back for a brief moment before it shattered and Brad was sent careening into the corridors wall. Naomi let out a cry of fear for her boyfriend, before she unleashed an arrow at the green scaled lizard's eyes before dashing off to help Brad with Wraith close behind.

As soon as he had struck down the boy with the blue coat, the Dodongo lowered his head, knowing that the female would try to avenge her mate's pain. The arrow bounced off of his green scales, while leaving a nice gouge in them. Turning to the trio, the Dodongo stalked forward, intent on burning the three alive. But as he moved forward he felt a pain erupt in his chest, looking down he saw the knife that he had knocked away earlier embedded in his chest. Reaching down he bit the throwing knife before ripping it out, tearing away more of his scales, and throwing it away with a toss of his head. He glared at the male teen with all the hatred he possessed before inhaling and breathing out a wave of fire at the trio.

Naomi quickly stepped forward and created a wall of fire to combat the lizard's flames. The wall of flame cast deep shadows on her, Brad, and Wraith. Looking through the fire wall Naomi saw the Dodongo's eyes a burning insane light shining in them taking great pleasure in their pain. The great lizard drew closer to her as he continued to breathe flames at the trio. But with every lumbering step he took, his flames got stronger and stronger, while her magic fire was becoming overwhelmed. Naomi saw that the Dodongo was no further than five feet away now. Drawing deep on her magic Naomi felt something inside her shift, and suddenly she, Brad, and Wraith were fifty feet away from the Dodongo in a dark spot of the corridor. Naomi watched as her wall of fire was destroyed in a great ball of flame that exploded outwards covering the area within twenty feet of the wall in fire.

The Dodongo roared in victory, until he heard a light shuffling sound. Turning around quickly he saw that the three creatures were fifty feet away, and alive. Growling in anger her moved towards them, eager to finish them off.

Naomi stood up and drew an arrow, before taking careful aim. With her target chosen Naomi released her arrow sending the speedy dart straight into the same area where Brad's knife had struck. With the scales gone from the area the arrow easily pierced the body of the Dodongo, piercing the creature's heart, sending the Dodongo stumbling to the ground where it lay dying, as his life blood flowed out of him.

Naomi sighed in relief as she gazed at the dead Dodongo, before turning her attention to Brad, who was clutching his left side in pain after the blow to his ribs, and his burned left arm was starting to really bother him now that his adrenaline was leaving him. "Brad here drink this." Naomi said as she pulled out a bottle of her family's famous milk. The milk was imbued with special properties that healed the body rather quickly. Brad nodded gratefully and took a few swigs of the milk. After a few minute he felt the properties of the milk begin to heal his bruised ribs as well as soothe his burnt arm.

"Thanks Naomi, that's exactly what I needed. Now we had best get moving, I don't want to leave Link and Saria alone for too long." Brad said as he got to his feet and started moving deeper into the cavern with Wraith walking along side him.

Naomi gave Brad a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure that Altair and Kairi are back by now, and that they are helping them out." Brad nodded. "Now hurry up slowpoke, we don't want to keep the kids waiting." Naomi said as she dashed ahead of Brad and Wraith. After a few minutes of running into nothing but Keeses, small flying bat-like creatures, Naomi ended up at a large steel shrouded door. Brad and Wraith soon pulled up next to her as they stared at the large door.

Brad looked over at Naomi and saw that she had drawn an arrow from her quiver and was ready to fight whatever might be hiding in the room ahead. With a nod towards each other they stepped forward and activated the pressure pad that would open the door for them. Stepping through the doorway the pair felt like they had entered an inferno. The room was lit with a red light that shone from the floor of the cavern and the lave waterfall that poured lava onto the room's floor. In the middle of the lava filled room was a tall stone pillar that was surrounded by a multitude of small stone islands. All that was quickly pushed to the back of the mind as two loud cries echoed through the chamber. Looking towards the noise, Brad, Naomi, and Wraith all saw two creatures leap down from the stone column in the middle of the room and down onto one of the small stone islands.

The monsters were Lizalfos, dangerous sword fighting reptiles. They stood at about five feet tall on two legs. They were covered in lime green scales, except for their belly which was covered in with yellowish-green scales. Across their left shoulder rested a red spiked covered pauldron. The bipedal lizard also had a long slender, yet muscular tail. But what drew the eyes of the two teens and fox was the swords they carried in their right hands. It was a disturbing sight to see monsters ready to fight like Hylians, and judging by the way they bounced around, these monsters were incredibly agile.

The bipedal lizards grinned at their prey as they flourished their swords. But before they moved towards the two Hylians, they were forced to drop to their hands and feet as an arrow and a throwing knife passed where their heads used to be. Climbing back to their feet the lizards gaze suddenly sharpened as they began leaping from stone island to stone island. Unfortunately for one of the monsters, Naomi timed her next shot, and hit the creature in midair. The arrow pierced its chest, slicing through some vital organs. The unexpected impact from the arrow caused the Lizalfos to stumble upon landing, which led to it falling into the lava.

The remaining Lizalfos glared at Naomi and Brad, his eyes burning into them as he heard his friends dying screams. With one last mighty leap the Lizalfos landed before the trio. Roaring in anger he slashed at the girl who killed his friend, eager to see her blood on his blade. Only for the boy in the blue and grey coat to step in front and block the slash with one of his battle knives. With a quick movement Brad lashed out at the lizard with his free hand, leaving a bleeding line across the lizard's chest. Moving quickly the Lizalfos kneed Brad in the chest causing his him to falter, raising his sword he prepared to drive the blade into the weakened boy.

Wraith, seeing his master in danger quickly leapt at the lizard with his claws glowing with a golden light. With his claws the little fox began to slash at the legs of the lizard, with one move Wraith severed the muscles in the unarmored lizard's legs, sending it to its knees. Naomi took the opportunity to step up close and whack the Liazlfos across the face with her bow, sending it tumbling off the stone island.

But before it fell into the lava it dropped its sword and grabbed the girl by her wrist and pulled her with him. If he was going to die, then he'll kill the one who killed his friend. But as the two began to fall, a form darted out of the lava and grabbed Naomi by the back of her shirt and lifted her up onto a stone island, leaving the Lizalfos to die in the lava. Naomi hyperventilated for a bit until Brad and Wraith's footsteps snapped her out of her terror at her near death. At that time Naomi noticed what had saved her. A red raptor, who was shrinking down to Wraith's size, with small red spines along its back, was looking at her with concern.

"Naomi, are you alright?" Brad asked as he and Wraith reached Naomi's stone island. Naomi, still shaken from her near death, sought some comfort in Brad's embrace. As Brad hugged Naomi, Wraith introduced himself to the red raptor. He had a feeling that this would happen sooner or later. After a few minutes Brad broke away and looked at the red raptor, and he knew what had saved Naomi.

"Naomi, I think your familiar just saved your life."

Naomi gasped and hurriedly turned towards the creature, who had finished introducing herself to Wraith. Naomi reached out and scratched the small lizard along the spine, earning pleased rumbles from the small dinosaur. "So Brad do you know what kind of animal she is?"

Brad was silent for a moment as Wraith communicated with him. "Wraith says that Comet is a raptor, a type of reptile similar to Lynn." Brad said, remarking on Kimberly's pink winged bird-like reptile.

Naomi smiled down at the small raptor. "Well Comet, I must say that I am very grateful to you. But before we start to bond, I think we should clear out this cavern first." Comet nodded somewhat reluctantly.

Brad lifted Naomi to her feet when they saw a carving on the massive stone pillar. It read, 'When the King's rage is again lit with red, then the way unto the rulers shall open. Beware their wrath.' Brad and Naomi stared at the message slightly perplexed at not only the message, but as to why it was even placed here. As Bread looked closer at the carved letters he made note of their crude and shallow shape. And from the pieces of shattered metal nearby he realized that the Lizalfos must have carved the message into the stone for some reason with their swords.

"Brad what do you think the message means?" Naomi asked.

"I think that it might refer to that giant skull that we saw back in the main chamber. But the better question is why this message was carved here. And how did it come to be written in the Hylian tongue?" Brad replied.

Naomi nodded, "I'm not sure, but we should figure this out later, for now we had best get going." Brad nodded and started to move towards the exit when a large explosive boom echoed throughout the caverns. The two teenagers and their familiars traded nervous looks before dashing out of the exit, rushing towards the loud explosive noise.

Passing into the next chamber Brad and Naomi found that the door leading forward was blocked by steel bars. In desperation Brad and Wraith began to cut through the bars with their unique brand of magic. After what seemed like an eternity the doorway was opened, together the group of four rushed through the doorway and found themselves back in the main cavern looking upon a scene of war.

**And that is the end of the twelfth chapter. I originally meant to post the entirety of the Dododongo Cavern dungeon, not including the boss fight, in one chapter. But as you can see the length of that chapter would be enormous. Instead I am splitting this dungeon into two chapters. Now I have not yet decided whether or not the next chapter will include the boss fight, but I guarantee that it will at the very least bring you up to it.**

**Now the reason I made the Dodongos so much harder to fight is because, I am making the Zelda world more realistic, and I think that a lizard who lives around bomb flowers would know better than to swallow a bomb. Besides, Dodongos are my favorite normal monster in the Ocarina of Time. So I am making them stronger. And yes this means that the boss fight will not progress the same as it did in the game. If you are wondering about how a monster can carve a message in Hylian, then you will have to wait, for that answer is not going to appear for a long time. Hints at an important side plot are mentioned in this chapter, see if you can find them and figure out what they mean.**

**I hope you like my revamped Dodongo cavern setting, while I have been nervous for a long time in writing this chapter, I feel that it has turned out well. Please leave comments on the chapter and any suggestions or requests that you may have.**

**1. The spell that Kim taught Naomi, makes the bow unbreakable while it is active, allowing the bow to be used like a staff. But in turn the bow can't be used as a bow until the spell is removed, for the spell stiffens the bow making it unbendable and unbreakable. When the spell is removed the bow can again bend, allowing it to be used as a bow.**

**Thank you for reading my twelfth chapter, please leave behind a review, they are encouraging to read and push an author to write more, faster. **

**The next chapter is not finished, but I am working on it as we speak.**


	13. War in the Cavern

Everyone Dies

Ch 13

**Here is the thirteenth chapter in my story. And the conclusion to the Dodongo Cavern Dungeon, but not the Goron Ruby arc.**

**I I would like to thank Insane Certifiably, brown phantom, ZeldaRubix, Twilight's Shad0w, onyxpilot, SuperSaiyanParadoxx, sendicard, and CryingCicada for their reviews. I would like to thank sendicard in particular for his many reviews and critiques. I am quite grateful for the support and I am quite pleased that you all enjoy the realistic twist that I am adding to the series. **

**I am sorry for the long waits between updates, but since it is now summer, I look forward to being able to devote more time to my writing. I would like to warn you readers though I started writing this chapter a few months back, but school started and so on so forth. Just want you to understand why the chapter might seem choppy.**

**This chapter picks up immediately after the previous, with no elapse of time whatsoever, with the point of view still with Brad and Naomi, but switches soon after. Enjoy.**

**I don't own Legend of Zelda. I do own this story though, Ha!**

-Last chapter-

_Passing into the next chamber Brad and Naomi found that the door leading forward was blocked by steel bars. In desperation Brad and Wraith began to cut through the bars with their unique brand of magic. After what seemed like an eternity the doorway was opened, together the group of four rushed through the doorway and found themselves back in the main cavern looking upon a scene of war. _

-Main Dodongo Cavern-

The scene was terrifying. Fully grown matured Dodongos by the dozen were flooding through the doorway on the western side of the cavern, along with their smaller brethren. They came marching and trumpeting their presence with loud guttural roars that promised death. Some of the more courageous Dodongos were leaping onto the stone pillars that led to the stone island. It was these lizards which Link and Saria concentrated their attacks on.

Flashes of green lightning flew from Saria's hands towards the mighty lizards, but more often than not, Saria would tilt the stone pillar in such a way that the Dodongo would slide off and fall into the lava bellow, its dying screams adding more noise to the battle strewn cavern. Meanwhile Link kept his war sling in almost constant motion, only stopping the whirling motion as he either released a stone bullet, or reloaded his sling. Loud cracks resounded throughout the room as the stone bullet impacted with, and often broke through the Dodongo's thick scaly hide. At times Link would pull out a bomb and charge it with his magic before throwing it out towards the Dodongos as Saria would then whisper a spell guiding the bomb towards the lizards. When the bomb detonated the sound alone deafened all in the cavern for a minute. When the smoke from the bomb cleared, the Dodongos were not dead, but merely stunned. It was obvious that these were the enhanced bombs that Brad and Naomi had heard earlier.

From above there was even more danger, as Baby Dodongos were flinging themselves off of the upper bridges in a constant stream attempting to land on the main stone island. But before the small Dodongos even neared the two Kokiri, they were intercepted by both Altair and Kairi. The golden fairy had both of his swords out and glowing with light, while his partner was slashing the little Dodongos that neared her with her knives, but mainly focusing on throwing blasts of emerald magic at the falling lizards. The dead and dying bodies of the young lizards fell to the ground in a mass of green scales, many ending up falling in the lava, while a few landed near their target and did some damage to the barriers that Saria had erected with their explosive deaths.

From their view, Brad and Naomi saw this as a battle of attrition, and considering the numbers of enemies they had to fight, Link and Saria might just be overwhelmed by the armored lizards. And then, things had begun to change as the last magically enhanced bomb had sent the mature Dodongos into a cold frenzy. Several more mature Dodongos had proceeded to attempt to cross the pillars to the stone island. While the increased amount of lizards to cross was becoming a problem, the real trouble began when the mature Dodongos began to toss the Baby Dodongos across the lava pit and onto the island.

In response to the new threat, Link quickly wrapped his war sling around his waist as he drew his sword and began to hack at the flying lizards. But within a mere minute it became clear that they would not be able to hold off this new wave of attack as they are. Saria drew on her magic again and raised the wall that encircled the main island by several feet. With the temporary protection Saria drew Link to her side as they hunkered down by the wall.

"We can't keep this up we need some more help!" Saria exclaimed.

"I know, but where are we going to get any from? Brad and Naomi are off trying to explore the area, while Altair and Kairi are stuck in the air doing all they can to keep those living bombs off our backs. I think we're on our own for a while Saria." Link said with a heavy sigh as he rested for a moment.

Saria grabbed Link's left hand and squeezed it for comfort. Link turned to his best friend and gave her the best smile he could manage in the situation. Saria gave a strained grin back before glancing down at their joined hands.

It was then that she saw the answer. Engraved on Link's Goron bracelet was the image of a howling wolf. "Link! Get your ocarina out."

Link gave Saria a strange look but did as he was told, and brought out his dark green ocarina. As his eyes caught sight of the golden howling wolf imprinted on the shell, he finally caught onto Saria's line of thought. Bringing the ocarina to his lips he played the song _Midlight's Echo_, from the ocarina came a haunting sound like a lone voice calling out all alone, but as the song progressed more and more 'voices' joined in with the original, until there was a great loud wolf howl that echoed throughout the cavern, chilling the blood of the Dodongos. From the middle of the island and a deep golden doorway appeared, and through it stepped a familiar wolfos, Perrin.

The massive dark grey forest wolfos stepped through the doorway allowing the magical door to vanish. As soon as he was through though he stopped and sniffed the air. The smell of sulfur and brimstone featured prominently, but it was the smell of blood that dominated his attention. The smell indicated that some kind of lizard was killed, but there was a strong smell of magic lacing the blood, strong magic, but warped and twisted in a way that it wasn't originally meant to be used in.

But Perrin quickly stopped his musings as a wave of smoke reached his nose. Perrin crouched down low and snarled in anger. Smoke meant fire, and fire meant death. To one who lives in the forest, fire is the one element that is feared and hated above all. As the seconds ticked by Perrin felt himself being swallowed up by his anger and hate.

Link and Saria were quickly becoming nervous, as the large wolfos, for the first time since they had known him, was showing a deep and dark anger. Nonetheless Link spoke up to grab Perrin's attention. "Perrin we need you to help us kill these Dodongo's. There are too many of them, and they are swarming us."

"_Dodongo's? Fire breathers?_"

"Yeah, they breathe fire, so be extra careful." Link warned. And as he saw Perrin's golden eyes gleam in the red glow of the cavern, he felt a fear creep over him as he saw the most calm and level headed wolfos he had ever known become overwhelmed by a murderous rage.

Saria quickly lowered the defensive wall allowing the great wolfos to bound from the island and onto one of the pillars that would lead him across to the western side of the cavern.

The Dodongo's paused as they saw this great large grey beast running and jumping across the pillars like it was child's play. The agility of this strange furred creature astounded the large lizards, as did his sudden appearance. But when he was only about twenty feet away did the Dodongos begin to understand what was about to happen. Roaring and hissing in anger the Dodongos prepared to meet the wolfos in battle of teeth and claws.

With one final leap, Perrin was across to the western side of the cavern and amidst the lizards. Lunging forward Perrin snapped his jaws around the neck of a Dodongo, his teeth biting only half as deep as they should have. With a quick and powerful jerk Perrin brought the great lizard's neck to the breaking point as he twisted. Just as the lizards neck was about to snap Perrin jumped aside as a wave of fire passed where he was just standing.

Glaring hatefully at the green and pink scaled lizards Perrin ran at them watching carefully as the Dodongos breathed deep and unleashed a wave of fire towards him. Perrin didn't slow down. He simply leaped high over the fire and pounced on one of the Dodongos, his claws sinking deep into the scaly hide. Quickly adjusting his paws so that they were on the underside of the beast, Perrin began to rise to his hind legs. Finding that his claws were digging into the Dodongo's hide far easier on the belly, Perrin rose to his hind legs with the lizard's blood running down his claws. With one great heave, he tossed the creature over the edge and into the lava. The Dodongos were temporarily stunned, for not even a Goron, with all of their lauded strength has yet to manage to toss one of them around with his strength alone. As Perrin turned to glare at the Dodongos, his yellow eyes gleamed with a hatred that matched their own.

Perrin released a long loud howl that echoed throughout the caverns that chilled the blood of all the lesser Dodongos. With that the battle between the Wolfos and Dodongos had begun. Perrin dashed forward and slashed at a pink and green Dodongo across the ribs, leaving several lines of bleeding and ripped flesh. With a quick movement Perrin dug his claws into the female Dodongo's side and flipped it onto its back, whereupon he quickly ended its life with a powerful bite at its throat.

Before Perrin could begin another attack, he was hit in the side by a large powerful tail. Rolling across the ground, Perrin quickly got to his feet, and leaped to the side as he avoided a large stream of flame from a Dodongo. Glaring with hatred at the lizard Perrin dashed forward and gave a slash to the face of a Dodongo, disorientating it while he gripped it by the shoulders of its two legs and lifted it up, so that he could get to the underside of its neck. All too soon the neck of the great lizard was exposed, and with a flash of teeth, the lizard fell down dead as its throat was torn out.

With this death, a Dodongo threw aside caution as he charged towards the large wolfos, intent on avenging its friends. With a great lunge it snapped its jaws at Perrin, narrowly missing the leg of the wolfos. Perrin had leaped to the side to avoid the bite, but suddenly he was back into the fight. He leaped onto the back of the beast and started to dig his claws and teeth into the hide of the great lizard, ripping off large numbers of scales and leaving long bleeding marks across the creatures back. But before Perrin could get his teeth around the neck of Dodongo, he was rammed in the side by yet another Dodongo.

Glaring at the fresh Dodongo and eyeing the injured Dodongo like a piece of meat, Perrin knew what to do. Dashing forward at the injured lizard, he was met with a tail swipe from the fresh Dodongo. Expecting the swipe, he lowered himself to the floor, allowing the tail to pass harmlessly overhead before turning on the fresh Dodongo and flipping it onto its back and going for the throat.

With its backup dead, the injured Dodongo stared into the eyes of what he knew would be his killer and roared a challenge. Lifting his tail high into the air the injured lizard charged at Perrin with unexpected speed. Perrin managed to take the charge in stride, sidestepping the charge before landing an upper slash to the Dodongo's body, flipping the creature onto its back and sending it skidding across the edge and into the lava below. Glaring at the horde of Dodongos left, Perrin raised his head to the ceiling and let out another blood chilling howl before dashing into the midst of the Dodongos.

Meanwhile Link and Saria, who had briefly watched Perrin fight, suddenly had to deal with another problem. From up above two high pitched cries were heard. Glancing up Link and Saria saw two Lizalfos standing on the upper bridge with their rough swords drawn, leering down at them like they were prey. With a great cry the two humanoid lizards leapt onto the center island, swatting at the fairies as they rushed to defend their charges. Unfortunately for the fairies, the humanoid lizards were able to land a lucky blow that ended up sending them crashing at Brad and Naomi's feet.

Landing with a heavy thud that caused the two Kokiri to stumble a bit, the two Lizalfos roared out a cry of challenge that merely added more noise to the cacophony that filled the cave. Quickly regaining their footing Link and Saria prepared to fight the creatures. As Saria looked around she quickly realized that their defenses had made the small island an impromptu coliseum.

Drawing her knife from her sheath, Saria whispered a few words that caused her small blade to spark briefly. Beside her, Saria noticed that Link had drawn his sword and shield, despite the fact that he had never used his new shield in combat yet. The gleaming wolf head and star glinted brightly in the fire lit cavern, drawing the attention of the two Lizalfos.

All too soon the fight had begun. Working in tandem, the two Lizalfos leapt from their spots to land on opposite sides of Link. Quickly the two humanoid reptiles slashed at the young boy. With the increased size of the shield, Link did not have to do much to catch the first blade, and his constant practice had enabled him to catch the second blade with his sword. Before Link could attempt to employ his magically gifted strength, the Lizalfos who had attacked his shield side slammed a clawed foot into the boys shield, sending Link stumbling back, freeing the other Lizalfos blade. With a quick slash the armored monster delivered a blow that would have cleaved Link's head in two, had he not turned his stumble into a roll allowing him to escape the Lizalfos. Completing his roll, Link scrambled to his feet to see the two Lizalfos turning to him to finish the fight while he was off balanced.

As soon as the Lizalfos made their move towards Link, Saria rushed towards the green armored lizards. In the few seconds it took for the Lizalfos to make their attack on Link, Saria had closed the distance between herself and the nearest Lizalfos. Lunging forward, the green haired forest girl drove her knife into the unarmored left shoulder of the monster, causing the creature to cry out in pain, bringing him and his partner to a halt as he thrashed about in pain, allowing Link to regain his balance. With a shout Link moved to attack the unoccupied Lizalfos, darting and slashing at the green monster causing it to leap away before beginning his own attack.

With Link and the other Lizalfos currently engaged in a battle that would ultimately be decided by agility, Saria quickly focused on her own problem. The wounded Lizalfos had dropped his sword to the ground, and had started to claw at his back trying to reach her. Yanking her knife from the monsters body, Saria quickly dropped to the ground and rolled away from the tail swipe that would have broken her ribs. In a rage the Lizalfos grabbed its dropped sword with its left hand, as its entire right arm was too damaged to fight with, and stalked towards the green haired pest.

Saria quickly glanced down at her knife before she charged at the injured Lizalfos. With a quick slash the Lizalfos attempted to slow the girl, only for its sword to be easily batted away by Saria's knife, causing the small blade to spark. Saria grinned a little as she entered the creature's guard. With a lunge, Saria made to stab the monster in the chest, only to be brought to a halt as the Lizalfos brought its knee up into her small body causing all her breath to leave her. Gasping for air Saria felt a stinging pain in her face as she suddenly found herself skidding across the ground and slamming into the wall that she had erected around the small island.

Still desperately pulling air into her lungs, Saria raised herself up and staggered to her feet only to stumble aside as she noticed the Lizalfos leaping towards her. As the humanoid lizard landed and turned towards the Kokiri, Saria stilled her panic and managed to get a half breath. Then she pushed herself forward to attack, knowing that if she let the Lizalfos gain the momentum she was finished. With a slash to start her offensive, Saria began to attack the creature's sword. Gaining speed, momentum, and breath with each attack Saria, continued to direct her attention towards the enemy's sword, making no move to attack the creature itself. With every clash between Saria's knife and the Lizalfos's sword, the knife would spark.

Bewildered at the girl's strange attack pattern, the Lizalfos played defensive, turning her slashes aside with his crude blade. Her slashes at first seemed random, but he soon enough found a pattern in her movements. With a wicked grin, he deflected her latest attack and thrust his blade towards her heart.

Saria knew that given enough time, the lizard would find a pattern in her attacks and then make a move to finish the fight. Sure enough the monster did what she wanted it to do. Sidestepping the thrust, Saria quickly stepped in and delivered an almost casual slash to the Lizalfos's arm creating only a shallow bloody line before stepping back as she let the Lizalfos fall dead to the ground with remnants of lightning coursing from its body to the ground. (1) With a tired smile Saria turned her attention to Link's fight. The Lizalfos, was sporting numerous wounds across its body while Link remained relatively unharmed; his agility, blade work, and shield allowing him to avoid and deflect virtually all of the Lizalfos's attacks. Then before her eyes, Saria watched as the Lizalfos slammed both of its feet into Link's shield causing it to fly away from his body, twisting his arm as it did so. Link glared at the monster before him, as he let his right arm hang limply by his side. Raising his sword before him, he prepared for the fight's end.

In desperation and panic Saria reached out with her magic to stop the Lizalfos, with no plan whatsoever in mind, except to stop the monster. From the earth burst a flurry of thick tree roots that wrapped around the Lizalfos before pulling it to the ground. Snarling and writhing in rage the Lizalfos struggled to free itself from the roots. All of that stopped as it felt a shadow pass over it. Standing above it was Link with his sword raised high. Fear and panic froze the twisted lizard till the end, as the Kokiri Sword was buried in the Lizalfos's skull.

As Link stood there leaning heavily on his sword he glanced up towards Saria with thanks shining in his eyes. Link was relieved to notice the relief, joy, and some warm emotion decorating his special friend's face. The two Kokiri's quiet moment was interrupted as multiple baby Dodongos impacted against the wall surrounding the island, startling the two children into action.

-With Altair, Kairi, Brad, Naomi, etc.-

As soon as the Dodongos resumed their attack on the island, Brad finally got over the shock that had frozen him and Naomi to the spot. Shaking his head to clear away any doubts that were fogging his mind Brad prepared to cross the stone columns that lead to the island. Just as he raised his foot to move, he felt Naomi grip his shoulder and pull him back.

"Naomi, what was that for? We need to help them, they're getting swarmed!" Brad whispered harshly, trying to not alert the Dodongos to their presence.

Naomi glared at her boyfriend and gestured to the ground before him. Turning around Brad looked down and saw both Altair and Kairi lying on the ground completely oblivious to the world around them. Naomi smirked in satisfaction as Brad cringed, realizing that he had nearly crushed Link and Saria's guardians.

"Carefully pick them up and hold out your hands." Naomi instructed as she searched through her pack for something.

Brad nodded and carefully lifted the fairies into his hands, being extremely careful of their delicate wings. With the task complete he turned around and noticed that Naomi had removed a flask of water. Catching onto her train of thought he held out the fairies and allowed his girlfriend to drip water on the unconscious fairies.

After a few drops on the small creatures, the fairies awoke with a start and flew back into the air, although it was quite noticeable that they were struggling, which was no surprise considering that their delicate wings had gotten wet and were weighing them down. Glancing around wildly Altair and Kairi quickly took stock of the situation, and acted in two extremely different ways.

Altair summoned his swords and prepared to dash off to the battle, only for Kairi to lay a hand on the collar of his coat and jerk him towards her. Kairi looked into his eyes and noticed a wild and excited light in his eyes. Gathering herself Kairi spoke up. "Now you listen to me Altair, we need to come up with a plan. We cannot win this battle the way things are going. We need to _think,_ not rush off and fight!"

Brad and Naomi glanced at each other confused at what was happening between the fairies. Brad stepped forward. "Look the problem is that Link and Saria are trapped on that island. The tunnels on this side of the cavern lead only to a dead end. We need to move. If they stay where they are, they will be overwhelmed."

"What do you suggest?" Altair snapped. "If these tunnels here lead nowhere, then they are safest where they are right now. At least they have the option to move instead of being trapped like rats."

As the fairies and Brad argued, Naomi received a mental image from Comet about the writing they had found in the caves. Glancing around for something that might explain the strange message, Naomi found her eyes drawn towards the massive Dodongo skull that decorated the far wall of the main cavern. Looking closely, through the smoke and falling Dodongos, Naomi thought that she saw something like pivots or gears at the jaw of the skull. Inspiration and understanding struck.

"Hey!" At Naomi's whispered shout, the two fairies, Brad, and the familiars turned their attention towards the red haired archer. "When we were traveling through the western caverns we found some writing on a stone pillar. It read, 'When the King's rage is again lit with red, then the way unto the rulers shall open. Beware their wrath.' The 'king' is the skull." Naomi said as she pointed towards the massive blue and green skull. "I think that behind the jaws are another set of caverns."

Kairi nodded as she recalled the writing on the tablet on the upper level. 'Giant Dead Dodongo … when it sees red a new way to go will be open.' "Of course, all that we need to do is make the skull see red."

Brad nodded in agreement. "But the problem is how do we make it see red?"

Everyone looked puzzled for a moment until Altair spoke up. "We paint its eyes red with the blood of its descendents." Kairi and the others gasped in shock at the rather brutal idea. "Look nothing makes a parent angrier than seeing their children injured. I guarantee that nothing is likely to incur a Dodongo's rage more than death of their family." (2)

Brad, Naomi, and their familiars cautiously nodded their agreement, before the two Hylians turned to their familiars. Brad pulled out two of his knives and their sheaths, which were still dripping with blood from the Dodongos. Handing a knife towards each familiar Brad and Wraith exchanged a look before the small fox bounded away with the knife and sheath clenched between his teeth as he raced for the cavern's far wall and began to bound from ledge to ledge as he climbed toward the skull. Naomi ran a hand across Comet's back before she urged the little raptor to follow after Wraith.

While the familiars made their way towards the skull, Kairi took a good look at Altair. Once again she saw that same strange light enter his eyes as he turned towards the battle. At that point she knew that she would have to speak with the gold fairy once they had escaped this evil cavern.

As soon as Wraith and Comet reached the skull, Kairi and Altair felt a change in the cavern's atmosphere. Ancient magic was waking up. The pressure from the magic quieted and stilled the baby Dodongos while it only agitated and increased the fury of the mature Dodongos. As Wraith and Comet laid the bloody knives and sheaths in the eyes sockets of the ancient skull, the blood that dripped and pooled from the knives was quickly absorbed by the dark sockets, turning them an angry scarlet.

All noise and commotion stopped, even Perrin's attack, as the jaw of the skull slowly opened onto the stone island in the middle of the cavern, crushing the stone wall around the island effortlessly. At the back of the skull's throat was a door that led further into the caverns. Once the way forward was open, two roars shattered the silence and reignited the small war that was going on.

Link and Saria quickly made their way towards the doorway, eager to escape the approaching horde of lizards. Wraith and Comet lightly leapt down from the skull onto the island before turning and making their way towards the two Kokiri. Across the cavern Altair and Kairi nodded at each other before flying off to join their partners. All that was left was for Brad and Naomi to race across the pillars towards the new passage before the Dodongos could make their way onto the island and continue their assault on the group of friends.

As the blue and red clothed teens raced across the pillars, the Dodongos began to attempt to cross the pillars. A task that was made more difficult as Perrin, despite his bloodied and smoking body, made himself a nuisance as he took to hamstringing as many of the adult Dodongos as possible, making it difficult for them to move, much less leap across stone pillars. Unfortunately, with the fairies with their charges, there was no one to stop the baby Dodongos from dive bombing the island and from there make their way towards the injured group.

Once Brad and Naomi reached the island, they quickly dealt with the baby Dodongos before making their way towards the others. But before the two teens entered the skull passage they heard more thumps behind them. Turning around they realized that despite the new passage, the Dodongos would not stop following them.

"Link, Saria! We need some way to stop these lizards from following us!" Brad shouted back to his friends as he fought off the small lizards.

"What do you have in mind?" Link shouted back as he and Saria clambered back to their feet.

Naomi who had been scanning the area suddenly noticed a fault in the ceiling above them. High above, in the shadows, was a crevice that looked weak. "Hey! If I can get an explosive up to that crevice on the ceiling, I think that I'll be able cause part of the cavern to collapse!"

"If we start a rock slide what's to prevent the whole cave from collapsing on top of us?" Brad shouted back.

"We don't have much of a choice; if we do nothing then we're going to die!" Naomi argued. "Besides, the bones should help brace the cavern and prevent the total collapse of the cave!"

Saria and Link, who had returned to the mouth of the tunnel, looked up to where Naomi was pointing. But all that they could see was shadows. "How are we going to get a bomb up there?" Link asked. "If we attach a bomb to your arrows, they would only throw off your aim."

"I know what to do!" Saria exclaimed as she rushed into the tunnels mouth and took a seat near a bomb flower. Pulling an empty bottle from her pocket, Saria placed the glass container next to the explosive plant while she took out her knife. Whispering words, Saria turned her attention to the plant causing the raw explosive to glow green. Carefully Saria inserted her knife into the side of the plant, opening a hole in the plant's side. Immediately she grabbed the bottle and held it next to the hole to collect the amber liquid as it leaked from the plant. In a matter of seconds the bottle was half full of the liquid. Quickly rising to her feet Saria rushed as fast as she was able back to her friends. (3)

Reaching out, the green haired Kokiri snatched an arrow from Naomi's quiver. Ripping off a piece of her tunic, Saria wrapped the fabric around the dart before dipping the arrow in the liquid drawn from the bomb flower. Handing the arrow back to Naomi, Saria quickly explained. "The liquid is a sensitive explosive. If you can ignite the arrow just before it hits inside the weak point, the shock from hitting the ceiling should set off the explosive in the crack causing the ceiling to collapse."

Naomi nodded in confirmation as she lined up her target. In the background she could hear Link and Saria scrambling back into the skull tunnel, while Brad took a position near her in preparation of rushing her off towards safety. Ignoring all of this Naomi raised her bow and took sight of the target. With hardly a pause she let loose the arrow. And moments later murmured a spell that ignited the explosive liquid on the arrow.

As soon as the very small explosion went off in the ceiling's crevice, Brad grabbed Naomi and pulled her towards the tunnel at the back of the giant Dodongo skull. Link and Saria, who were already safe inside the tunnel watched in stunned awe as the ceiling began to collapse. Huge boulders fell from the cavern's roof crushing lizards and destroying the stone pillars that littered the cavern. Cries of agony and terror echoed through the chamber as the lizards desperately tried to escape from destruction that was raining down on them. In a flash of insight Link realized that Perrin was still out there. In desperation Link reached out with his magic and smothered the magic that had transported Perrin to the caverns. Amidst the thick dust and falling rocks the two Kokiri saw the large wolfos freeze as a bright golden light engulfed him before shattering with explosive force as clouds of rolling dust blotted the view. The effect was strange and it left Link with no knowledge of what happened to the wolfos one way or the other.

Link simply stared in the direction of where he last saw Perrin as the roof continued to collapse crushing the fleeing Dodongos. All he felt was shock and confusion. As the collapse started to slow Link felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Saria standing there with empathy shining in her eyes despite the fact that her face was covered by a large bruise. "Come on Link, we need to keep moving." Shakily Link got to his feet and gripping Saria's hand, he moved forward and made his way towards the door at the end of the tunnel.

Brad and Naomi glanced at each other and followed after their younger friends with their familiars keeping pace with them. Above the group hovered the fairies as they gazed out at the tons of rock completely burying and crushing all the Dodongos beneath. "Death on a large scale is never easy to get over is it?" Receiving no response Kairi continued on. "And yet death on such a scale is harder to get over when you are the one who caused it."

"What are you talking about?" Altair asked his voice low with shame.

"You know what I mean, but we'll talk about this later. For now let's keep an eye out for our charges." Altair gave a nod and flew after Link with Kairi close behind.

As the group approached the door, their bracelets let off a soft glow causing the steel shrouded door to rise and open the way into the next chamber. The room was a stone chamber that had three passages leading off from it. The left most passage contained another steel shrouded door which was barred. The passage to the right was easy to access, but the one straight ahead was higher than they could reach on their own. In the middle of the chamber was a depression that held a pressure pad that likely unlocked the bars on the left passage.

As the tired and weary group of friends wandered the chamber they noticed that the Keeses that were fluttering above them were doing their best to be invisible. Apparently they smelled the blood of the Dodongos on their weapons, and the little bats had no desire to attack anyone that could kill a Dodongo.

Gathering together around the depression the group took a seat as they rested from the lengthy and exhausting battles. As they sat there resting, all the aches and pains that had been forgotten during the battle began to catch up with them. Brad's burns began to ache as the recent exertion had agitated them beyond what Lon Lon Ranches' famous milk could heal. His ribs, while tender, were still fine. Link's right arm began to make its presence known with a vengeance as the badly twisted arm throbbed with every beat of his heart. Saria's bruised stomach and face pulsed in time with her heartbeat, clearly telling her that it would be best if she found a bed and slept for a day. The fairies sat on Link's hat as they continued to dry their wings. Wraith and Comet lied curled up to each other in front of their partners as they licked Wraith's fur clean of the blood that was matted into his coat. Amidst all these aches and pains, Naomi alone was uninjured.

Shifting to her knees, Saria turned her attention to the earth. Using her magic she shifted the ground so that instead of stone, there was actual dirt. Reaching into her belt pouch Saria withdrew several seeds before planting them into the newly created dirt. Reaching out with her magic Saria encouraged the seeds to take root and grow. Within seconds the seeds had sprouted and reached maturity. Kairi fluttered from her spot next to Altair and moved over to the plants. With tenderness and care the green haired fairy started to remove leaves and flowers from the plants before placing them in Saria's waiting hand along with several more seeds to enable the Kokiri girl to repeat this feat at a later time.

Reaching for her pack Saria removed a wooden mortar and a stone pestle. Selecting some of the freshly grown herbs Saria placed them in the hard wood bowl before grinding them up into a fine paste. Link, Brad, and Naomi's tired minds grasped what Saria was doing and reached into their packs and removed some bandages.

Saria looked up and smiled at her friends before reaching out for Link's bandage. Grasping the white fabric Saria smeared on some the paste onto the bandage, while simultaneously applying a large amount of magic into the herbal mix causing it to glow a healthy green. Completely non-pulsed Link moved closer and extended his right arm for Saria. With a practiced ease Saria wrapped the bandage around Link's arm and tied it off before reaching for the bandages that Brad and Naomi offered. Smearing on the paste, Saria passed the bandages to Naomi before explaining. "You need to add some of your magic to the herbs to speed up their healing abilities. After you do that I want you to wrap them around Brad's arm and his chest. We are going to be resting for about half an hour before doing anything. That should be enough time for the injuries to mend themselves enough that we can continue on without too much hindrance."

Naomi nodded before applying her magic causing the healthy green glow to appear although far paler than the bandage that Saria applied to Link. Brad quickly shed himself of his coat and shirt to allow Naomi access to his ribs.

While Naomi tended to Brad, Saria grabbed some of her own bandages and prepared them. Link quickly moved to Saria's side to help her with what she needed to do. After smearing the paste onto the bandages and charging the medicine with her magic, the green haired girl turned to Link. "I need you to bandage my stomach for me."

Link nodded and picked up the bandages, once Saria lifted her tunic revealing her heavily bruised stomach Link's eyes sharpened in anger as he saw what that monster had done to his friend. As careful as he could with one good arm and a bandaged arm, Link applied the dressing and wound it around the female Kokiri's stomach several times before tying it off with a knot. Finished, Link looked up at Saria's face and noticed that her face was flushed red, which caused Link to blush red as well as he realized the position that he was in. Looking into her eyes Link saw a great warmth shining in her blue depths, a warmth that was unknowingly reflected in his own eyes. Before anything could come of this moment the two Kokiri were jolted back to reality as their fairies fluttered in front of their faces.

Blushing, the two forest children scooted away and rested on the soft dirt as they let their bodies recuperate. Before she drifted off asleep Saria heard Link's voice. "It's your turn to keep watch Altair."

-More than a Half an Hour Later-

Coming awake to Altair's small hands rapping on his head, Link quickly sat up swiping the fairy away from his face. Letting out a yawn Link got to his feet and realized that while he and Saria had napped, Brad and Naomi had climbed up the high passage and had pushed a large block to the edge of the passage. Seeing Link awake, and Saria stirring the two Hylians began to push to block over the edge.

When the block fell over the edge, landing with a loud crash that sent reverberations through the floor of the cavern causing Saria to jolt awake and leap to her feet. Laughing at his friend, Link found himself face down on the ground as Saria tackled him. Immediately the two children began to horse around.

Rolling their eyes Brad and Naomi began to push the block over to the depression. While Altair and Kairi gazed down at their charges with both worry and amusement fluttering in their eyes.

With one final exertion Brad and Naomi sent the stone block falling into the depression with another loud crash that caused the two Kokiri to stop fooling around and get serious again. The familiar childhood wrestling and laughter ceased as the reality of their situation again crashed down on them. Rising to his feet, Link reached down and helped Saria to her feet as they watched the bars on the door slowly rise.

After a moment the group started to pick up their weapons where they had dropped them during their short rest. Soon enough everyone was armed and if not fully healed, hopefully strong enough to face what was ahead. Stepping towards the door they made their way forward as the massive steel shrouded door opened for the group of kids.

As the group of eight entered the new chamber they were met with a blast of hot air. Glancing around cautiously the boys moved towards the center of the chamber from which was coming a plume of steam that rose high to the roof of the cavern causing the chamber to be both hot and humid. While the boys approached the center of the cavern, the girls began to explore the walls of the chamber.

As the girls reached the far side of the chamber they noticed that there was a large hole in the wall, a hole that was letting in an air flow, meaning that it was a passage.

"Hey guys! We found a passage!" Naomi called out as she turned towards the boys, who were nearly completely hidden by the rising steam. Before Naomi could even turn around a shriek pierced the air.

Whipping around Naomi saw what had caused Saria to scream. Two large red eyes glowed in the shadows of the passage that shined with a hate that knew no bounds. From the passage issued a roar that rattled the chamber's floor and shook the ceiling. Leaping from the passage was a large green and pink scaled lizard. The giant lizard landed with a large thud that shook the floor even more, shaking Link, Brad, and Wraith into the rising steam cloud. Immediately afterwards the boy's screams could be heard, before stopping suddenly. Altair could be seen flying into the steam column following after his charge.

Turning to face the large lizard Naomi, Saria, and Kairi knew that they were facing a Royal Dodongo, while Comet simply got into a defensive position in front of Naomi. Swiveling around to face them, the pink and green scaled royal gave the girls a frightening smile as her lips pulled back and her razor sharp teeth were revealed. Opening her mouth, the giant Dodongo spoke "You _will_ pay!"

-In the chamber below-

As Link, Brad, and Wraith recovered from their unexpected fall they saw that Altair had followed them down. Climbing to their feet the group realized that the temperature had risen immensely. The reason being was the large lake of lava that was in the center of the cavern.

From the ceiling rocks crumbled down and fell into the lake of lava, causing it to boil and burble releasing steam into the air. As Link and Brad looked around the new cavern, Altair and Wraith examined their charges making sure that they were not injured.

"Altair I'm fine!" Link hissed as he noticed movement on the other side of the lake. Altair quickly stopped his check and turned his attention towards what Link was seeing.

Tremors shook the ground as a giant green and grey scaled Dodongo cleared the steam and turned his attention towards the group of boys. What he said would forever echo in their minds for what would follow. With hatred in his eyes he spoke, "Welcome."

**Well that is the end of chapter 13. I hope you enjoyed it. There are a lot of cliffhangers in this chapter, but hey it adds to the suspense. Anyway I hope that you enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will finish off the Dodongo Cavern as well as setting up the next mini arc, which should only take a chapter or two. After the next chapter I am going to take a break from this story and start writing my sequel to my only completed story.**

**I won't be starting writing the next chapter till probably next week. The reason being is that I am going down south to visit my cousin and her new born baby. **

**1) What happened here is that the spell that Saria cast on her knife was one that built a static charge that grew every time that it impacted metal. When she lightly cut the Lizalfos, she released the electric charge which was more than enough to overwhelm the monster's nervous system and kill it.**

**2) I have changed the requirements for opening the way to the boss. The reason for this is that I feel that it fits well with the bloodlust and rage of the Dodongo race. Besides, how is a bomb going to make an eye socket red? **

**3) Plants that are highly explosive do not exist in real life. Since bombs are made from bomb flowers there must be some kind of explosive material that exists in the bomb flowers. I have decided to make it a liquid, kind of like nitroglycerin. The reason that Saria was safely able to extract the liquid from the bomb flower is that she was originally the Great Deku Tree's first choice to be the next Forest Sage, if anything happened to him. Saria's magic is strong, but it is particularly strong in reference to plants and the earth. Thus she was able to apply her magic and stabilize the bomb flower enough to safely extract the explosive liquid.**

**Well that is it. I hope that you have enjoyed this latest chapter. Be sure to leave a review. I will respond to any questions that you have, and any thorough review. Later.**


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